4 killed, 1 hurt in building collapse
At least four people died when a row of three-storey shophouses collapsed at 7:30am yesterday after three days of heavy rain in Saraburi's Mueang district.
One person was seriously hurt, government officials said late yesterday.
Governor Thavorn Prommecha, who inspected the building, which had been modified into a 10-room dormitory, in Tambon Pak Khaosarn, said four bodies were retrieved while five people were trapped inside.
The four bodies were identified as those of public health official Wilasinee Janda, 38; factory worker Chonlada Saneha, 24; Rarin Reunrenu, 28; and her daughter, Rawinwipa Prasesang, 4.
Rarin's husband Sitthichai Prasesang, 28, a cell-phone vendor, was rescued and reported in stable condition at Saraburi Hospital. All of the dead and injured were reportedly second-floor tenants.
As they tried to remove Sitthichai from the debris, rescue workers were struck by the scene of the deceased Rarin hugging her young daughter. Sitthichai, who couldn't move to save his family, was reportedly so overwhelmed with grief that he at first refused to take oxygen from the rescue workers.
Thavorn said three of the four deceased were breadwinners, so each family would receive Bt50,000 in assistance, while Bt25,000 would be paid as compensation for the child's death.
A committee would be formed to determine the cause of the accident, he said.
Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said medics from the Saraburi, Kaeng Khoy and Nong Khae hospitals were dispatched to treat the injured.
Aree Krainara, secretary to the interior minister, also viewed the damage and gave moral support to the rescue effort.
The three days of downpours might have softened the soil and caused the land under the building to subside, said Colonel Bamrung Khongcheep, superintendent of Mueang Saraburi Police Station.
Forensic police would examine the scene, while landlady Saowanee Siripattananon, 58, would be summoned for questioning and the blueprints and dormitory permit would be checked, Bamrung said.
The building was reportedly only one year and four months old.
Police, along with officials from the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT), would today summon construction engineers. The EIT officials would also inspect the building to determine if its design or structure was a factor in its collapse.
Chiang Mai Governor Panadda Diskul assigned a team to inspect tall buildings and apartments in the city area, especially along the Ping River, for fear of a tragedy like the Saraburi case.