Rescuers working in a collapsed train tunnel were approximately one meter away from one of the three trapped workers, according to an announcement from the provincial governor on Wednesday morning.
Chaiwat Chuenkosum noted that they were cautiously advancing toward the three victims, whose vital signs were still detectable by scanning equipment.
As the excavation continued, soil and rocks kept falling in the still-under-construction tunnel, raising concerns about the safety of both the rescuers and the trapped workers.
The passage for the rescue team was being reinforced with additional supports as they advanced. “The main challenge for the rescue effort is the soil,” Mr. Chaiwat said.
Sunlight penetrated the tunnel through newly formed openings in the overhead soil on Wednesday morning, as reported by the governor.
Optimism among officials and rescuers was sustained with each scan confirming the ongoing vital signs of the three men, he noted.
“We hope that the vehicles [trapped in the collapsed tunnel] provide a space that protects the three men. Workers in such places receive training on how to survive in the event of a collapse,” Governor Chaiwat said.
A recent scan indicated that the distance to one of the victims was approximately 1.2 meters, while another was four meters away, and the third eight meters.
Among those trapped are two Chinese nationals, one a construction supervisor and the other a backhoe operator, along with a Myanmar truck driver.
They have been trapped since the collapse occurred on Saturday night. The tunnel is part of the ongoing construction of the Sino-Thai high-speed railway that will connect Bangkok with Nong Khai province, bordering Laos.
The collapse occurred around 1.5 kilometers from the tunnel’s entrance, which is located near Khlong Khanan Chit train station in tambon Chan Thuek of Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima.
