By AFP
March 31, 2025
Thai authorities are investigating what led to the collapse of a construction site followinga massive earthquake - Copyright AFP Chanakarn Laosarakham
Authorities in Thailand are investigating possible factors that led to the devastating collapse of a Bangkok construction site, where dozens remained missing on Monday, three days after a massive earthquake centred in Myanmar.
The planned skyscraper was to house government offices, but the shaking reduced the structure to a pile of rubble in seconds.
The collapse is the worst damage inflicted in Thailand by the 7.7-magnitude quake, which caused widespread destruction — and at least 1,700 deaths — in neighbouring Myanmar.
Numerous high-rise buildings elsewhere in Bangkok were left unscathed with limited reports of major damage, prompting questions as to why the one tower was destroyed.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters on Monday that only two buildings in the city remained inaccessible.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had expressed concerns on Saturday, questioning why the collapsed building was the only one in the capital to suffer major damage.
“I have questions in my mind,” she said. “What happened from the beginning since it was designed? How was this design approved? This was not the first building in the country.
“We have to investigate where the mistake happened.”
Paetongtarn ordered a probe into the incident involving a group of experts who she said would report back to her this week.
– ‘Something suspicious’ –
Critics have said that the steel bars used to link the building’s concrete structures may have been too thin, or not of sufficient quality.
Several steel rods were taken from the rubble for testing on Monday afternoon.
Industry minister Akanat Promphan said Sunday that six types of steel had been found, all from a single producer.
“The collapse of a building can come from several factors, from design, construction (and) material specification,” he said.
“Most important is the standard of the materials.”
Akanat said he had already “found something suspicious”, but that he would wait until testing had been completed before elaborating.
The confirmed death toll for Bangkok stood at 18 on Monday, with fears that the number could significantly rise as dozens remain missing under the building’s rubble.
Morning rain on Monday gave way to a hot, humid and overcast afternoon as responders worked to remove debris and locate any remaining survivors.
Meanwhile, concerns have also been raised about Thailand’s emergency response system, after a text message alert system experienced delays when Friday’s quake struck.
“Our problem is that the sending of messages was slow and did not cover enough people,” Paetongtarn said Saturday.
The prime minister has called a meeting for Monday with government departments responsible for sending the SMS alerts to the public, Thai media reported.
‘Devastated’: Relatives await news from Bangkok building collapse
By AFP
March 31, 2025
Naruemol Thonglek (C) is praying her boyfriend will emerge from the rubble where a Bangkok skyscraper collapsed in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Myanmar - Copyright AFP Lillian SUWANRUMPHA
Watsamon TRI-YASAKDA
Three days after a Bangkok skyscraper collapsed in the wake of a devastating earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar, Naruemol Thonglek is still praying that her boyfriend will emerge from the immense pile of rubble where the building once stood.
The sudden crumbling of the 30-storey tower, which was under construction at the time of Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake, has killed at least 11 people and rescue workers are racing to find 76 others still trapped among the debris.
Electrician Kyi Than, the boyfriend of Naruemol, is among those missing under the enormous mound of concrete and twisted metal being lifted by mechanical diggers as part of the desperate search.
“I’m devastated… I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life,” 45-year-old Naruemol told AFP from a small shelter near the site, where a group of around 50 relatives await news.
“I still pray that he is alive but if he is no longer alive then I hope that we can retrieve his body,” she said.
Among the missing are Thais, Laotians, Cambodians and Myanmar nationals.
Many relatives are choosing to sleep in the shelter, on camp beds or directly on the stone floor, and are reluctant to leave in case news emerges.
– ‘We wait, we wait’ –
Rain fell Monday at the site, where sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones have been deployed to seek signs of life in the collapsed building, which is close to the Chatuchak weekend market popular among tourists.
Around lunchtime, Tavida Kamolvej, the deputy governor of Bangkok, raised hopes over a noise or movement in the rubble that could be a survivor, but cautioned that the situation was still extremely unclear and they needed “a quiet moment” to work out its origin.
Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ushered away from the site, which she had been visiting, as experts rushed to help.
At least 18 people have been killed in Bangkok following the quake that struck near Mandalay early Friday afternoon, causing severe damage in central Myanmar in particular and killing more than 1,700 people across the country.
In the Thai capital, 33 people have been injured and 78 are still missing, most of them under the rubble of the building site.
Naruemol said Kyi Than, a Myanmar national, was among a group of electricians — including his son — working on the 26th floor.
She told AFP she had lit incense and candles, prayed and wished, begging her boyfriend to return alive.
“If you can hear my voice, if you’re still alive, please shout and let the officials know,” she said, calling out to Kyi Than.
Elsewhere in the shelter, Daodee Paruay said she had been at the site for two days, hoping for a miracle. Her brother, also an electrician, is under the rubble.
“We wait. We wait. We will wait until (they are) found,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment