NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand – Rescue teams have recovered two more bodies from a collapsed tunnel in northeastern Thailand, bringing the death toll to three, officials said on Friday.
The bodies of the two Chinese workers were found early Friday morning trapped in the tunnel of a high-speed rail project, said Ekarat Sriarayanpong, head of the State Railway of Thailand Governor’s Office.
The workers had been missing since a tunnel collapse late on Aug. 24. Rescue teams had been working around the clock to reach the trapped workers.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Ekarat said, adding that the railway authority would provide assistance to the bereaved families.
The collapse occurred in a tunnel being constructed for the China-Thailand high-speed railway project in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
Rescue efforts were hampered by unstable soil conditions, which caused multiple landslides inside the tunnel. Rescuers had to construct a support structure to prevent further collapses before they could safely reach the victims. (TNA)
