A Cambodian worker was pulled alive from under a heap of soil after a 5-metre deep trench collapsed on top of him in the Pattaya area on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old, identified only as Jin, was working in a drainage channel being dug in front of Wat Boon Samphan in tambon Nong Phrue of Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Part of it caved in.
When rescuers from Sawang Boriboon Foundation arrived they found the man's coworkers digging deserately to reach him with just their bare hands and hoes.
The rescue operation was difficult as he was trapped under a large amount of dirt. With the help of a backhoe on a truck they excavated the sandy soil until the Cambodian’s head and hands emerged.
Mr Jin had been suffocating for about 10 minutes under the soil and they immediately put an oxygen mask on him. It took them half an hour to free his whole body and lift him out.
He was short of breath but still conscious and able to answer questions. He had abrasions on his body and was taken to Bang Lamung Hospital.
The trench is 5 metres deep. It was believed the recent heavy rain had saturated the soil, leading to the trench collapsing. It was sudden. There were no warning signs, the head contractor at the site said.