Both incidents were caused by the collapse of cranes used on Italian-Thai projects. The halt to the 14 projects would allow expert teams to conduct detailed inspections to ensure safety standards were being met, said Chirapong Theppithuck, deputy permanent secretary ⁠of the transport ministry. ‘Danger to the public’This week’s crane collapses were the latest in a series of fatal accidents at construction projects in Thailand, several involving ITD, including the collapse of the nearly completed State Audit Office (SAO) tower in Bangkok last March following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar. The collapse of the 30-storey SAO building killed at least 96 people and led to charges of negligence ‌against 23 people including ITD president Premchai Karnasuta. ITD secured seven state construction contracts worth more than 26 billion baht in 2025, according to data from the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Source: Bangkok Post January 16, 2026 14:29 UTC