Repairs may have caused Rama II beam collapse

Officials examine the area where a concrete beam fell from a U-turn bridge on Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon, just west of Bangkok, on July 31. (Photo: Transport Ministry public relations Facebook page).

A missing section of reinforcing rods is believed to have caused the collapse of a concrete beam that fell onto three passing vehicles on Rama II Road on July 31, killing two people and injuring two others, a fact-finding committee has concluded.

Part of the reinforcement section was believed to have been removed when the top concrete slab of the U-turn bridge was dismantled previously for in-depth repairs, Pisak Jitviriyavasin, the deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport, said on Thursday.