A grieving sister traveled to meet officials and wait for rescue teams to recover her brother's body, who died in the "Rama 2 Crane Collapse" incident. She revealed he was very diligent, working hard for his family, and expressed deep sorrow that the loss occurred on his 1-year-old daughter's birthday.
On 15 Jan 2026 GMT+7, updates on the crane collapse on the Rama 2 elevated road between km 30+300 and km 30+400 near the Samut Sakhon transport entrance, Tha Chin Subdistrict, Mueang District, Samut Sakhon Province: the crane fell onto the main outbound lanes before the Tha Chin River bridge, causing two fatalities trapped inside vehicles and two others injured. Authorities recovered the first victim, Mr. Sompong Srisuk, and sent him to the hospital for autopsy, as previously reported.
By this evening, rescue teams were urgently using cutting tools and a large crane to extract the body of the second victim, Mr. Sarawut Vetchakarn. They deployed two stretchers and three rescue units to locate the body. Around 19:00 GMT+7, rescuers found the second victim trapped inside the wreckage but could not remove the body immediately, as heavy concrete slabs and steel debris must first be lifted by the crane to safely retrieve the remains.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Jariya Payuttanaset, sister of the second victim Mr. Sarawut Vetchakarn, arrived at the incident command center on Rama 2 Road to handle paperwork to claim her brother's body.
A rescue team representative explained to Mrs. Jariya the recovery process: they have located the victim's body trapped under heavy concrete slabs. Rescuers are trying all possible means to extract the body, including using a 200-ton crane to move the debris and attempting to recover the remains.
However, the body removal requires 1-3 days to ensure the remains are intact. Alternatively, they could expedite removal but risk incomplete recovery or bodily damage. The family was informed to decide on the recovery approach. After discussion, the family agreed to proceed with the fastest possible extraction. The rescue team pledged to do their utmost.
Through tears, Mrs. Jariya revealed that after the incident, she watched footage and noticed a vehicle resembling her brother's. Her sister-in-law also sent clips, and they agreed it looked like her husband's car. She cried and immediately sought information, contacting various police stations to coordinate here. Both she and her sister-in-law made many calls but faced difficulties and received no response until she and her partner decided to come here. Their parents were informed but none could accept the tragedy or foresee such an event.
Regarding the rescue team's explanation of the difficult recovery, Mrs. Jariya said she understood because the concrete slab weighed up to 700 tons, and the team was evidently doing their best.
She further emphasized, "The construction of Rama 2 Road is not acceptable because such incidents have happened repeatedly. Each time, we have to worry if it will be our relatives affected. Therefore, this should never happen again. We should not lose anyone like this anymore."
There are only two siblings, and her brother lived nearby. They communicated often. She acknowledged her brother was hardworking, rarely resting, and was the head of the family. He hoped to build and care for his family, working alone and constantly seeking extra work. With a young child, she worries how the responsible agencies will assist the family and whether this matter will be ignored. She urges officials to genuinely care because no family knows when tragedy will strike. Her brother's wife and daughter, who just turned one today, will face a difficult future. She wants the matter to be handled seriously so it never happens again.
Tomorrow, if the rescue team completes the body recovery, the sister will go to Samut Sakhon Hospital to claim her brother's body before bringing him to a religious ceremony in Watthananakhon District, Sa Kaeo Province.