Dozens of workers trapped in collapsed Bangkok high-rise
Three deaths confirmed as rescuers comb rubble of 30-storey building under construction
A mushroom cloud of dust and debris swept through the streets of northern Bangkok on Friday as panicked residents ran for their lives after an under-construction skyscraper came crashing down following a powerful earthquake.
The construction site of a new 30-storey government building quickly turned into a disaster scene, with people jumping into cars to escape or shrieking as they fled on foot.
Workers in hardhats and orange hi-vis jackets were engulfed by dust as the concrete stack fell, with dozens who couldn’t get away trapped under the rubble.
Rescuers at the collapse site were dwarfed by an enormous mound of rubble and tangled metal struts, just metres from the bustling Chatuchak Market.
Eighty-one people were known to be trapped in the rubble and three had been confirmed dead, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Friday afternoon.
The Narenthorn Centre at the National Institute for Emergency Medicine reported at 6.40pm that a total of 68 people were injured, five of them critically. They were sent to seven hospitals in the area.
A report said there were about 400 people working at the construction site, both Thai and foreign workers. The injured were being transported to nearby hospitals in Bangkok.
The building, located on an 11-rai site on Kamphaeng Phet Road, was being built for the State Audit Office, said deputy auditor-general Sutthipong Boonnithi, who was present at the scene.
Work began on the 2.1-billion-baht building in 2020 and work was 30% complete. The construction had reached its highest floor.
The main contractor for the project is ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No 1 (Thailand). Inspections were the responsibility of a joint venture comprising PN Synchroniz, W and Associates Group and KP Consultants and Management, Mr Sutthipong said.
Mr Phumtham said Friday’s seismic event was unprecedented in Bangkok in the past 100 years and would require extensive follow-up.
“Surveys will have to be conducted on hospitals, schools and temples to see whether there are cracks or unsecured structures that are at risk of collapsing,” he said.
“Bangkok is a concern because the land is muddy and vulnerable. Preliminary inspections have found that there are several spots where buildings have cracks.” (Story continues below)
An artist’s conception shows the building that was under construction for the State Audit Office in Bangkok.
Workers and shoppers flee
The 7.7-magnitude quake violently shook buildings across Bangkok — where strong tremors are almost unheard of — leaving workers and shoppers rushing into the street in shock.
“At first, I thought I was sick — like I was getting dizzy or about to faint. Then I noticed the lanterns were moving,” said an office worker who fled her building.
Dramatic video showed the tremor rocking a high-rise hotel, with water from its rooftop pool whipping over the building’s edge.
“I was shopping inside a mall when I noticed some signs moving, so I quickly ran outside,” said Attapong Sukyimnoi, a broker. “I knew I had to get to an open space — it was instinct.”
In Siam Square, schoolchildren were terrified when the quake shook Siamscape, a mixed-use building that also houses tutoring schools. Some structures collapsed and cracks formed in the ceiling and walls. The children were trapped in the building for a while, according to a post on the X account #แผ่นดินไหว, but were all evacuated out safely later.
In Klong Toey district, hundreds of people were evacuated from the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), where the National Book Fair was being held, when powerful shaking was felt.
The fair has been closed to the public for now, according to the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand.
