Floor collapses at Hua Mark Police Station in Bangkok

The job of a policeman is hard enough without having something to stand on, as officers discovered in Bangkok this week.

The first floor collapsed of the 55 year old Hua Mark Police Station on Ramkamhaeng Road in the Bang Kapi district on Wednesday morning. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

At 11am, the first floor gave way which is used by officers from Hua Mark Police Station, and Hua Mark Fire and Rescue. The spot is located inside the traffic and accident prevention centre.

The floor dropped about 50 centimetres and destroyed the 50 square metres room. But that’s not all. The pavement and road outside the building in front of the police station gave way and crumbled and a 15-metre watchtower also collapsed.

The Superintendent of the police station, Settaphan Sisakorn, informed the media yesterday that a new building, police dormitory, and car park are under construction, and believes the damage is probably due to the new building work.

The superintendent said a civil engineering team had already investigated and insisted that the main structure of the first floor is still strong. The collapsed floor would be fixed after the budget is approved.

Settaphan insisted that the police station is open as normal.

The Director of Hua Mark Fire and Rescue, Satjaporn Yuwattana, believes the construction of a new building behind the old one and the Skytrain station on Ramkamhang Road might have caused the floors and watch tower to collapse.

Satjaporn added he’s noticed other floors along Ramkamhang Road have collapsed. He said the relevant departments need to investigate the whole building structure to make sure that it is safe for officers to work.

The media reported that the building was constructed in 1966, making it 55 years old.