Floor of Bangkok condo collapses, 1 killed

One floor of a condominium in the Bang Sue district of Bangkok has collapsed between last night and this morning, killing a construction worker. Five other people were also injured when the floor came crashing down. It’s still unknown which floor in the 27 storey building collapsed, however, engineers and forensic investigators are inspecting the site today. The condo is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya river.

Witnesses said they saw a pickup truck leaving the construction site around midnight carrying what they believed were 3 injured workers to Vachira Hospital nearby. Rescuers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation said early this morning that they could not get into the building. This meant the rescuers were blocked from looking for anyone else who might have been trapped under the fallen concrete slabs, until they were given permission by construction inspectors.

The Thaiger will update this story when more details become available.

A major building collapse happened in Bangkok 5years ago on Sukhumvit Road. An eight-storey building under demolition collapsed, killing 2 construction workers. A backhoe driver told police that he and another nine workers were preparing to demolish the building.

As he was refilling the backhoe and other workers were checking the building, he heard something like a sling snap before the building collapsed and the workers ran for safety. It was initially reported that four workers were in the building, according to the head of the BMA Public Works Control Division.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World