Soil Collapse Buries Worker at Rayong Construction Site
A 38-year-old woman was trapped and rescued after a soil pile collapsed into a four-meter-deep excavation pit on Sukhumvit Road in Rayong on August 4, burying her while she worked on a drainage pipe project.
At 1:00 p.m. on August 4, 2025, rescue teams from Sawaeng Phorn Kusol Foundation in Rayong responded to a soil collapse that buried construction workers on Sukhumvit Road near Sai Jao Pho Sai Thong shrine in Mueang Rayong district. At the scene, workers were plastering a concrete drainage pipe in a four-meter-deep, four-meter-wide excavation when an adjacent pile of soil, stacked by a backhoe, suddenly collapsed and slid into the pit. Two male workers managed to escape with minor injuries, but a 38-year-old female worker was trapped beneath the rubble. Rescue teams rapidly deployed to dig and retrieve her, performing CPR before emergency transport to Rayong Hospital.
Some local residents have speculated that the accident may have occurred because the construction project did not perform a traditional incense-lighting ceremony to pay respects to the local guardian spirits before beginning work. Residents view this as either a causal factor in the accident or a spiritual warning from the shrine, which is a site of deep reverence and regular prayer in the community. This remains a personal belief held by some community members.
