Families receive bodies of three from Bangkok building collapse

The shattered remains of three victims, tragically caught in the devastating collapse of the State Audit Office in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district, were returned to grieving relatives in Nong Khai. The horrific incident occurred last Friday, reducing the site to rubble.

The victims have been identified as 47 year old Khamsaen Matra, her 26 year old son Natdanai Namburi, and 23 year old daughter Sumitra Namburi. The desperate search continues for Khamsaen’s husband, 52 year old Likhit Suwannachart, lost amid the debris. Both Khamsaen and Likhit had been labouring in construction for 20 years.

Sumitra, a promising public health student on the brink of graduation this month, had only begun working on the ill-fated project two days before disaster struck, hoping to earn some extra cash during her school break.

Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn revealed that out of the 18 tragically deceased workers, ten were covered by the Social Security Fund (SSF). Their families will receive compensation, while discussions are ongoing with contractors about those not covered by the SSF, Bangkok Post reported.

Amidst the chaos, Boontham Srisaman, director of Bangkok’s Regional Labour Welfare Protection 9, stated that contact had been established with twenty subcontracted firms under the China Railway No.10 Engineering Group. The ill-starred project engaged 401 workers, hailing from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

At the time of the Chatuchak district building collapse, a terrifying 128 people were on-site, with only a few managing to flee the impending doom in the nick of time. The hunt for answers and justice continues as families demand accountability.