Final search efforts underway for missing persons in collapsed building
If no further survivors are found, the Chatuchak District Chief will consider declaring the disaster area closed, with a final decision expected within two days
Rescue teams from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) are intensifying efforts to locate the remaining 12 missing persons across three critical zones of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building in the Chatuchak district.
K9 rescue dogs have detected signs in Zone B, an area adjacent to the building, according to Suriyachai Rawiwan, Director of the BMA’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, who provided an update on Wednesday.
“Rescue teams are carefully removing debris to access the indicated spots,” he said. “Additional searches are ongoing in Zones A and D, with plans to excavate down to the sand layer. If no abnormalities are found, operations in these areas will be concluded soon.”
The under-construction 30-storey building on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road collapsed on March 28 following an 8.2-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar, trapping more than a hundred workers inside.
As of Wednesday, the BMA has reported a total of 109 victims from the incident. Of these, 88 have been confirmed dead, nine injured, and 12 remain missing.
Suriyachai added that in structurally compromised areas, heavy machinery is being used cautiously—employing robotic arms and gas-powered cutters to reduce risk. Drone technology is also being used to map out debris piles from the State Railway of Thailand, enhancing search efficiency.
The BMA reported that a joint meeting of involved agencies is scheduled for this afternoon to review the latest data. The number of missing persons has been updated from 103 to 109, based on investigations and DNA evidence.
If no further survivors are found, the Chatuchak District Chief will consider declaring the disaster area closed, with a final decision expected within two days, the city administration said.
