Bangkok, Thailand – March 28, 2025, 9:39 PM
Rescue operations are underway with urgency at the site of a collapsed 30-storey skyscraper in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district, following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar earlier today. The tremor, centered near Mandalay, reverberated across Southeast Asia, causing widespread panic and structural damage in the Thai capital, which has been declared a disaster area.
The under-construction building, intended to house the Office of the Auditor General, crumbled into a massive pile of rubble and twisted metal at approximately 1:20 PM local time, trapping dozens of construction workers. As of the latest reports, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has confirmed that three (some other reports have said four) workers have been killed, with estimates of 81 to 90 individuals still missing beneath the debris. Rescue teams have so far pulled multiple survivors from the wreckage, offering a glimmer of hope amid the chaos.
“The situation is unprecedented in Bangkok’s history,” Wechayachai stated during a press briefing at the site earlier this evening. “We are mobilizing all available resources—military personnel, emergency responders, and heavy equipment—to search for survivors. Time is critical.” The Thai military, under orders from Army Commander-in-Chief General Pana Claewplodtook, has deployed drones to assess the damage and assist in locating trapped individuals. However, unstable rubble and downed power lines are hampering efforts, with rescuers proceeding cautiously to avoid further collapses.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt reported that the quake caused damage to multiple high-rise buildings across the city, with inspections ongoing to assess structural integrity. “This is a disaster unlike anything we’ve seen in the past century,” Sittipunt said, noting that the city’s soft, muddy terrain may have amplified the quake’s impact. The Stock Exchange of Thailand suspended trading, and the city’s elevated transit and subway systems remain shut down as authorities brace for potential aftershocks. Many businesses across the city shut as well for the evening and traffic was in chaos as we reported here.
Eyewitness accounts paint a harrowing picture of the collapse. Video footage circulating online shows the skyscraper, topped with a crane, toppling into a cloud of dust as onlookers screamed and fled. “It happened so fast,” said a nearby vendor at Chatuchak Market. “One moment it was standing, the next it was gone, and the air was thick with dust.” Workers at the site were seen scrambling to escape as the structure gave way, with an estimated 100 people present at the time of the incident.
The National Institute for Emergency Medicine reported that 68 people have been injured across the city, five critically, with victims transported to seven nearby hospitals. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who cut short an official visit to Phuket, visited the site of the collapse in Chatuchak as seen in the photos in this article, which the majority governing Pheu Thai Party shared online.
International support is beginning to mobilize, with the European Union’s Ursula von der Leyen expressing solidarity and offering assistance via satellite imaging and humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, the military junta has declared a state of emergency across six regions, including Mandalay and Naypyitaw, though the full extent of casualties there remains unclear due to communication challenges and ongoing civil conflict.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
