A second crane has collapsed in Thailand, killing two drivers just a day after a near-identical incident that left dozens of train passengers dead.

The towering metal equipment was being used to build a new elevated motorway when it plunged onto traffic on the road below in Samut Sakhon on the outskirts of Bangkok at 9.15 am.

Huge beams of metal and lumps of concrete crushed two cars on the Rama 2 Road. Paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene near the Tha Chin River Bridge.

Police closed the road while an investigation was launched into the construction, which is being done by the same company involved with the high-speed rail project crane that collapsed onto a train in Nakhon Ratchasima on January 14, leaving at least 32 passengers dead and dozens more injured. The fatalities included a German holidaymaker and a South Korean.

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said: 'I am at the scene to start the investigation. We do not know yet whether the construction was underway or paused, nor how the incident occurred.

'It is necessary to investigate whether the collapse was an accident or involved complicating factors.'

The minister confirmed that the construction was carried out by Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, which has been involved in multiple incidents.

The company was involved in the collapse of the State Audit Office building during an earthquake in March 2025.