Death toll rises to 14 in Bangkok building collapse
The grim scene continues to unfold in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district as rescue workers recover more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed government office building, three days after a deadly earthquake triggered the disaster.
What began as a desperate race against time has now become a painstaking recovery operation, as the death toll climbed to 14 following Friday’s structural collapse of the new Office of the Auditor General building on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road.
The building came crashing down on March 28 after tremors from a powerful earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar sent shockwaves through the Thai capital. The disaster left multiple people trapped beneath the debris and sparked a multi-agency rescue effort that has continued around the clock.
Yesterday, March 31 at 2.30pm, officials from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation confirmed the discovery of a woman’s body beneath the wreckage. Her remains were transported for forensic identification. At that point, the confirmed number of fatalities stood at 12, eight men and four women.
Just hours later, tragedy deepened. At 5.50pm, rescue teams uncovered another female body in Zone B of the site. Moments later, at 6.09pm, another body was found in Zone C, though the victim’s gender has yet to be confirmed.
Recovery crews are continuing their efforts to retrieve and identify the latest victim.
Despite the rising death toll, there had earlier been hope after faint signs of life were detected within the rubble during the initial stages of the operation. Since then, teams have used heavy machinery and trained personnel to comb through the collapsed structure, navigating the unstable wreckage in search of survivors and victims.
The collapse of the new Office of the Auditor General building, a structure that had not yet been officially opened, has raised serious questions about construction standards, particularly in earthquake-prone zones.
Government officials are expected to launch a full investigation into the cause of the collapse, including structural integrity and adherence to building regulations, reported KhaoSod.
As of Sunday evening, the search continues with heavy hearts and fading hopes, while families of the missing await news from what has become one of the capital’s deadliest building collapses in recent years.
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