SRIRACHA, Thailand – A giant wild mango tree more than 100 years old was uprooted by powerful winds and crashed into an electronics parts factory in Sriracha on October 3, narrowly missing dozens of workers who had moved indoors to escape heavy rain. The incident occurred at about 1 p.m. in Soi Nongsak 11, Moo 5, Bueng subdistrict, Sriracha district, Chonburi.
Rescuers from the Sawang Prateep Sriracha Foundation, police from Nong Kham Police Station, local officials and disaster prevention officers inspected the scene after receiving reports that a large tree had fallen onto a factory where many employees were working. The tree stood more than 20 metres tall and was large enough to require about three adults to wrap their arms around its trunk. Strong winds uprooted it, with officials noting that it did not have a substantial taproot.
The falling tree damaged the factory’s roof, a workers’ rest area and two outdoor shelters. Four employees’ motorcycles parked in front of the factory were also crushed. The tree fell across the road, forcing authorities to close the route, while severed power lines temporarily left nearby homes without electricity.
CCTV footage captured the moment strong winds drove the century-old tree to the ground, with its upper section crashing into the factory and power lines. Workers had been eating lunch outside before heavy rain forced them to move inside the factory shortly before the tree fell.
Factory employee Cherdpong Thanyacharoen, 36, said he had been eating with his girlfriend in a shelter directly in the tree’s path when he suddenly saw the tree beginning to fall. He immediately pulled his girlfriend towards a sink area for shelter, narrowly avoiding the falling tree.
Cherdpong said he was shaken by the incident and believed the outcome could have been fatal had they not moved in time. He added that the area normally has many employees eating during lunch.
A nearby resident, 52-year-old Aoi Phonphan, said she was inside her home about five metres from the tree when she heard a loud cracking sound before it fell in the opposite direction.
She said she was relieved that the tree fell towards the factory rather than her home, while the heavy rain had also helped move workers indoors before the accident. Municipal disaster prevention crews will remove the fallen tree so traffic can resume. Electricity officials will first secure the damaged power lines before tree-cutting operations begin. No injuries were reported.
