Bangkok, Thailand–
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has directed the termination of two major contracts held by Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD), one of Thailand’s largest construction firms, after two catastrophic crane collapses occurred on consecutive days, claiming dozens of lives.
The announcement came after an emergency meeting at Government House on Thursday, January 15th, 2026, where Anutin described the incidents as posing an “unacceptable risk to public safety” and unprecedented in their proximity and severity.
The first disaster struck on Wednesday morning when a massive launching gantry crane, used in the construction of the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway (Lam Takhong to Sikhio section), collapsed onto a moving passenger train in the Sikhio district in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The impact derailed carriages, sparked a fire, and resulted in at least 32 deaths and over 60 injuries, many involving commuters and students aboard the train. Several foreign nationals were also killed.
Just 24 hours later, on Thursday morning, another crane operated by the same contractor collapsed during work on the elevated expressway extension along Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon province, crushing vehicles below and killing two people while injuring an undisclosed amount of others.
Speaking to reporters, Anutin instructed the Ministry of Transport to immediately cancel ITD’s contracts for the affected high-speed rail segment and the Rama II elevated expressway project. Authorities have also been directed to pursue all available legal actions against the company and to initiate the process of blacklisting ITD from future government contracts.
The Prime Minister stated that the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) must also bear responsibility as a public transport operator in the Sikhio incident, given that the victims were passengers. However, he stressed that separate claims for damages would be sought from ITD under the contractual terms.
Anutin further questioned why previous fatal incidents involving ITD, such as those on the State Audit Office building project after tremors from a major Myanmar earthquake toppled it last year leading to dozens of construction worker deaths, had not led to earlier contract terminations or blacklisting. He warned government agencies against shifting blame and called for greater accountability and transparency to restore public trust and confidence in Thailand’s major infrastructure developments.
The twin tragedies have intensified scrutiny on construction safety standards, particularly on high-profile projects like the China-backed high-speed rail network and long-delayed expressway expansions, which have been plagued by accidents in recent years.
Transport officials have indicated that new contractors will be sought to complete the remaining work on both sites, as investigations into the causes of the collapses continue.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
