Thai Prime Minister Visits Collapsed State Audit Office Site in Bangkok to Support Rescue and Recovery Efforts

Monday, 7 April 2025, 12:19

Bangkok, Thailand – 
On the evening of April 6, 2025, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra made a visit to the site of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district, offering moral support to government officials and volunteers who have been working on rescue and recovery efforts since the structure fell during a powerful earthquake in Myanmar on March 28. 

The SAO building, a 33-storey structure valued at 2.1 billion THB (approximately 61.4 million USD), was nearing completion after five years of construction when it collapsed due to tremors from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar. Notably, it was the only building in Bangkok to succumb to the seismic event.During her visit, Prime Minister Paetongtarn engaged with rescue teams, inquiring about their work processes, the obstacles they face, and any additional support they require from the government.

“This is a major incident that has not only affected a single building but also Thailand’s image,” Paetongtarn said in a statement earlier this week. “We must provide clear answers to the public.” The Prime Minister assured families of the missing workers—many of whom are Myanmar nationals—that the Thai government would provide full support.

Paetongtarn, Thailand’s youngest prime minister and the second woman to hold the office, has faced mounting pressure to restore public and international confidence following the disaster. Speaking at the opening of the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center (TIESC) on March 31, she emphasized that while most buildings in Bangkok adhered to earthquake-resistant standards, the SAO collapse was an isolated technical failure that would be thoroughly investigated. “The government is intensifying efforts to ensure this does not happen again,” she said, addressing concerns from tourists and investors alike.

Rescue operations, supported by international teams from the United States, Israel, and China, have shifted from search-and-rescue to recovery efforts as hope fades for finding survivors among the 79 individuals believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Heavy machinery was deployed on April 4 to clear debris more quickly as we described here, a decision made after rescuers struggled to access areas where survivors might have been located. The death toll in Bangkok has risen to 20, with 13 fatalities directly linked to the SAO collapse, according to the Bangkok Emergency Medical Centre.
The original version of this article appeared on our sister website, The Pattaya News, owned by our parent company TPN media.