Final Search for Missing in Collapsed Bangkok Skyscraper Nears End
BANGKOK — Rescue operations are entering their final phase at the site of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak district, where 12 people remain missing following a March 28 collapse triggered by the powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar.
Rescue teams from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), supported by K9 units, robotic arms, drones, and precision tools, are concentrating their search on three high-priority zones. K9 dogs have signaled possible human presence in Zone B, prompting teams to carefully remove debris in hopes of locating survivors.
“We’re now excavating down to the sand layer in Zones A and D,” said Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the BMA’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office. “If no abnormalities are found, we will conclude operations in those sections.”
The collapsed 30-storey building on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road trapped over 100 workers, with the official toll now at 88 dead, 9 injured, and 12 still unaccounted for, according to updated figures released Wednesday after new DNA evidence and investigations.
A high-level coordination meeting is scheduled this afternoon to assess progress and review the data. If no further survivors are found, the Chatuchak District Chief may declare the site closed as a disaster area within two days, signaling the end of rescue and recovery efforts.
