BANGKOK — Tremors from a magnitude 8.2 earthquake in Myanmar that shook buildings throughout Bangkok on Friday afternoon caused the new Office of the Auditor General building under construction in Chatuchak district to completely collapse. Three deaths have been confirmed so far from the initially reported 81 missing workers.
The 33-story building under construction was situated on a 4-rai, 2-ngan plot adjacent to an auditorium and parking lot on State Railway land. The construction site was entirely enclosed by metal sheet fencing. The project was a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development and a Chinese company.
When the collapse occurred at 1:20 PM on March 28, workers at the construction site fled in panic. The surrounding area was filled with dust clouds, limiting visibility. Rescue personnel rushed to provide first aid to the injured in safe areas, while those still trapped inside were being extracted using backhoes and specialized equipment before being urgently transported to hospitals.
Building Collapsed 10 Minutes After Tremors
Somsak Sadkaew, 67, a foreman at TTSW Engineering Limited, revealed that before the collapse, while working on the lower floor, he heard the concrete floor of the building under construction making cracking sounds but couldn’t identify which floor it was coming from. He quickly ran outside and, looking up, saw the crane on the roof swaying, confirming his suspicion of an earthquake. Approximately 10 minutes later, the building collapsed.
He stated that normally about 170 workers from various companies were working inside the building. He noted that it was fortunate the incident occurred when it did – if it had happened around 4:00 PM during shift change, the casualties could have been much higher.
Bangkok Governor Announces Disaster Zones
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has signed a declaration from the Bangkok Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Center announcing disaster zones in Bangkok. The most significant damage was found at the Office of the Auditor General building under construction in Chatuchak district and at a collapsed construction crane in Din Daeng district. Other buildings showed cracks.
The BMA has organized volunteer engineers to inspect safety at nearly 200 locations following public reports.
Unprecedented Incident in 100 Years
At 2:30 PM, Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai arrived at the scene and established a joint command center for victims. He ordered military personnel to work with rescue workers and relevant agencies to urgently assist in debris removal and search for injured and deceased victims.
He stated that this earthquake in Bangkok is unprecedented in the past 100 years, and authorities are concerned about aftershocks, requiring close monitoring. The Prime Minister is reportedly returning to open an operations center.
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