Body found in collapsed tunnel as rescue operation continues
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Body found in collapsed tunnel as rescue operation continues

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An ambulance carries the body of a victim from the collapsed tunnel in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima, to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital for a post-mortem examination on Thursday. (Photo: State Railway of Thailand's PR team)
An ambulance carries the body of a victim from the collapsed tunnel in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima, to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital for a post-mortem examination on Thursday. (Photo: State Railway of Thailand's PR team)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: One trapped worker from Myanmar was found dead in a collapsed train tunnel on Thursday, as search efforts for the two remaining workers continued into the sixth day of the operation.

Rescuers from the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and a team from China's Hunan Sunshine found the body of the Myanmar truck driver at 11am, according to Ekkarat Sriarayanpong, head of the SRT governor's office.

The name of the victim could not be confirmed at this time, Mr Ekkarat said, adding that the SRT was ready to assist his family.

Nakhon Ratchasima governor Chaiwat Chuenkosum confirmed that the body of the Myanmar national was found near a truck, under a pile of soil and rocks.

He said rescuers still detected vital signs from the two remaining men, and more sniffer dogs have been deployed for the search.

The two remaining trapped workers are Chinese - a construction supervisor and a backhoe driver.

Caretaker Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday said the victim had died from suffocation three to five days before his body was discovered, citing a medical team's report on the cause of death. 

Concerning the possibility of other factors, authorities are awaiting official autopsy results, said Mr Anutin, who went to the site in Pak Chong district to follow up on the rescue operation.

Mr Anutin said rescuers' scanners had detected movement, likely from the second trapped worker, about four metres from where the first worker was found dead. 

Clearing rocks was the main obstacle in the operation, he said.

The Disaster Response Associations Thailand (DRAT) reported that a Chinese engineering team has reinforced the structure of the collapsed tunnel for the safety of rescuers. Rocks and soil blocking the path have been cleared, and sensors have been installed at three points in the tunnel ceiling to monitor subsidence and ensure safety.

A backhoe is deployed to move rocks aside in the tunnel before sandbags are placed on top to prevent further soil and rock falls. (Photo: Nakhon Ratchasima public relations office Facebook)

A backhoe is deployed to move rocks aside in the tunnel before sandbags are placed on top to prevent further soil and rock falls. (Photo: Nakhon Ratchasima public relations office Facebook)

On Wednesday, rescuers digging through the rubble got within about one metre of one of the three trapped workers, whose vital signs were being detected by scanners.

The three men have been trapped since the tunnel collapsed on Saturday night. The tunnel is part of the Sino-Thai high-speed railway being built between Bangkok and Nong Khai province, which borders Laos.

The collapse started about 1.5 kilometres from the entrance of the tunnel, which is near the Khlong Khanan Chit train station in tambon Chan Thuek of Pak Chong district in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Body found in collapsed tunnel as rescue operation continues
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