As of 4:00 PM on May 23, the search for Mr. Sarawut Chantasun (Daow), a 33-year-old construction worker from Sisaket province who was buried by a landslide and fell into a 19-meter-deep pile shaft at the Orange Line subway project near Soi Lan Luang 8 in Pom Prap Sattru Phai District, Bangkok, has been temporarily suspended.
The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team from Bangkok’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and Ruamkatanyu Foundation volunteers have paused their efforts due to safety concerns. Earlier in the morning, rescuers detected a viscous material at about 11.5 meters deep that resembled human remains near the area where mortar was poured.
In the afternoon, while working near the suspected location, a steel sheet pile, placed on all four sides of the shaft to prevent soil from collapsing inward, dislodged. This posed a significant safety risk to personnel rappelling into the shaft, as the surrounding soil was under high pressure. The loose joint in the sheet pile structure could compromise stability, prompting all personnel to halt the operation.
The team will now reinforce the site by welding the steel sheet piles on all four sides and adding another layer of steel for safety. This work is expected to continue overnight. Once reinforcement is complete, rescuers plan to reach the suspected location and devise a strategy to retrieve the body.
As of now, the rescue team has reached 11.5 meters depth — about 2 meters short of the target point where the signal, believed to be the worker’s body, was detected. Reports indicate the victim is positioned head-down with legs pointing upward. Water inside the shaft must be drained before the body can be retrieved.