SAMUT PRAKAN, Thailand – Two men died after a crane being used to lift a submerged car came into contact with an overhead power line in a flooded housing estate in Samut Prakan early on September 27. Bang Kaew Police Station was alerted at about 1:20am to an electrical shock incident at Java Bay Housing Estate on King Kaew 19 in Bang Phli district. Floodwater had risen to more than 1.2 meters, forcing emergency responders to use a high-clearance vehicle to reach the scene.
The homeowner, 40-year-old Thanakrit Chimpalee, was found unresponsive in front of his house after neighbors pulled him from the water. The crane operator, 31-year-old Sitthiphop Meesamrit, was seriously injured in the electrical shock while operating a six-wheel Hino crane truck. Rescue workers performed CPR and took him to Chularat 9 Hospital, but he later died.
Thanakrit’s 42-year-old wife told police that her husband had hired the crane to move their submerged sedan to higher ground. During the lifting operation, the end of the crane apparently struck an overhead power line, causing an electrical discharge that knocked the crane operator into the floodwater. Thanakrit was standing nearby and entered the water to help, but was also electrocuted. His wife said the electricity authority was contacted to cut the power, but her husband could not be saved. Police questioned witnesses at Bang Kaew Police Station and sent the bodies for post-mortem examinations at Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Hospital as the investigation continues.
