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
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