Thailand steps up rescue efforts as relatives of missing wait at site of collapsed building

BANGKOK – Thai emergency crews have detected signs of life and are racing against the clock to rescue dozens missing in the rubble of a collapsed high-rise building in Bangkok, as relatives gathered at the site to await news of their loved ones. 

The authorities on March 29 said at least nine people were killed and 49 still missing from the 33-storey tower, which was under construction when it was brought down by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake centred in neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. 

Emergency officials said rescue efforts were intensifying but remained delicate as they sought to ensure heavy machinery freshly deployed to aid excavation did not further compromise the structure. They also used an aerial drone to help determine where best to dig. 

“The life signs are scattered in pockets of people,” said Mr Suriyachai Rawiwan, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention.

“We are facing significant difficulties in delivering food and water due to the depth of their entrapment, ranging from 3m to 5m.”

With rescue workers encountering difficulties providing sustenance to those trapped in the debris, distraught relatives gathered at the scene grew increasingly anxious for updates. 

After spending six hours travelling by road from her rubber plantation in north-eastern Sisaket province on March 29, Ms Munyapa Thongkorn broke down in heaving sobs upon seeing the crumpled skyscraper. 

Her missing 17-year-old daughter, Naiyana Pimsarn, was on the eighth floor of the building when the earthquake struck at 1.20pm local time, she said.

Her daughter’s boyfriend, a construction worker who survived, had held her by the hand as they ran downstairs before becoming separated on the fourth floor as the structure crumbled. 

Ms Munyapa said her daughter was a seasonal worker who had taken the job in Bangkok during their family farm’s off-season. It was her first day at work when the earthquake hit. 

Emergency worker Chaiyant Chusakul said rescuers could hear faint cries from trapped survivors. He told The Straits Times that rescue operations could proceed faster now that cranes and excavators had arrived on the scene. Workers had initially resorted to digging with their hands and shovels in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. 

“We are working against the clock,” Mr Chaiyant added. “Every second is valuable for us.”

Earthquakes are rarely felt in the Bangkok metropolitan area, home to more than 17 million people, many living in high-rise apartments. The strong tremors on March 28 sparked panic as people ran onto the streets and as water from an elevated infinity pool streamed down the side of a luxury downtown hotel. 

An investigation is under way on the collapsed tower, which was to be the new headquarters for Thailand’s national audit office, and officials will report their findings within a week, said Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. It is just across from the popular Chatuchak Market, which remained teeming with tourists on March 29. 

The building was being constructed in a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development (ITD) and Chinese contractor China Railway Number 10 (Thailand). 

Mr Nitipong Neththip, who had only recently retired after two decades with ITD, said he had been waiting since the previous night for news of his missing wife, Ms Chawannuch Wutti, 57, who works at the company as a construction worker.

The pair met on a construction site a decade ago and had planned to move to his home town in northern Nan province when she retires in three years. 

“I will just keep waiting,” he said, when asked of his plans. The last news he heard of her was when she called her mother from the 30th floor to chat over lunch.

Ms Jintana Phromphakdee’s sister Wiphakham was working near the top of the structure on the 29th floor and has been missing since the building collapsed. Dabbing sweat and tears from her face, Ms Jintana said their mother fainted upon hearing the news. 

“My sister and I always support each other, I don’t want to think about what will happen if she is not here,” the Sisaket native told ST.

Ms Jintana said her sister has been working in Bangkok for two decades, and has two sons – one is about to join the military and the other is about to get married. 

“I will pray to Buddha,” she added. “If she survives, I will become a nun for a month.”

• Philip Wen is regional correspondent at The Straits Times, covering South-east Asia from his base in Bangkok.

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