An explosion occurred at an NGV station in Bo Win, Chonburi Province, causing a building to collapse and killing one person. The deceased was a maintenance technician who had been called to inspect a burning smell near an electrical cabinet. Authorities are urgently investigating the true cause.
At 16:00 on 20 July 2026, Police Colonel Krit Thitithatsana, Chief of Bo Win Police Station, received a report of a gas explosion at an NGV station along Highway 331 on the inbound side toward Pak Ruam Intersection, Bo Win Subdistrict, Si Racha District, Chonburi Province. He, along with investigative officers, coordinated with the Bo Win Subdistrict Administrative Organization's disaster prevention and mitigation team to provide assistance.
At the scene, evidence of the explosion was found scattered throughout the area, with concrete slabs and walls blown widely apart. It was reported that one employee was trapped inside the room, with their condition initially unknown.
An NGV station employee said they noticed a burning odor and called a technician to repair the equipment. When the technician began inspecting the site, there was suddenly a loud boom, followed by debris scattering across the road. After the incident, the employee tried calling the technician inside but received no response until rescue workers arrived to investigate.
Later, rescuers found the body of a man trapped under a collapsed wall. Electricity was cut off urgently before they could safely recover the body. The deceased was identified as Mr. Santi Duangsi, age 40, a maintenance technician at the station.
Mr. Or, another maintenance technician, said after being notified of a burning smell, he and a colleague went to inspect the electrical cabinet room. He stayed outside while his colleague went inside. Suddenly, the explosion occurred. He called out to his colleague without any reply. The blast caused concrete debris to damage nearby vehicles. Mr. Or said he was unsure of the explosion's cause and that officials would need to investigate further.
Police Colonel Krit Thitithatsana, Chief of Bo Win Police Station, stated that witnesses and nearby personnel said the station's control center had reported a burning smell from the electrical cabinet and called for repairs. Shortly after a technician arrived to inspect, an explosion occurred at the cabinet, killing the technician on site. Authorities will conduct a forensic investigation to determine the exact cause.
