Bangkok building collapse death toll rises to 32
The ongoing rescue operation at the collapsed State Audit Office building in Bangkok revealed five additional fatalities, raising the death toll to 32.
Suriyachai Raviwan, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, reported that emergency services have been working tirelessly to locate the missing. Information indicated that the area with flashing light signals was under a beam tilted to the left. Rescue personnel tried to reach the spot by crawling with their left arms extended, managing to penetrate over 2 metres and zooming cameras in three stages.
The suspected area was at least 4 metres away, and emergency services have yet to reach it. The rescue efforts were hindered by thick concrete slabs weighing over 10 tonnes and reinforcing steel, posing significant challenges. Due to the steep conditions above, there was concern that the slabs might collapse, necessitating discussions on safety measures during operations.
Suriyachai mentioned that air was pumped into the cavity to sustain any potential survivors. However, no life signs have been detected so far, even after deploying radar cameras, which found no signs of life or response. Only intermittent flashing lights have been observed. Heavy machinery was used to clear paths, and when close to suspected locations of victims, equipment will be paused to allow personnel to proceed.
Suriyachai also noted that eight more sites were discovered around 11pm yesterday, April 11. It remains unclear how many bodies these sites contain, as some consist of body parts. Further examination by the Forensic Science Division and the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine is required.
Reports indicate that at 9am today, emergency services used backhoes and heavy machinery to excavate the building debris, with rescue teams in baskets reaching the top of the ruins in zone E, continuing the search for the missing. Water jets are being used to control dust at the site.
As of 10am today, April 12, Bangkok’s situation report for the collapsed building listed 32 fatalities—an increase of five—along with nine injured and 62 missing, reported KhaoSod.
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