Bangkok building collapse: 89 dead, 7 still missing as search nears completion

Progress continues in the recovery and demolition of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building in Bangkok. As of 6:00 PM on May 9, 2025, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported that 109 individuals were affected by the incident, with 89 confirmed dead, 4 found alive, 9 injured, and 7 still unaccounted for.

The under-construction 30-storey building on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road collapsed on March 28 due to the impact of an 8.2-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar, trapping more than a hundred workers inside.

Tavida Kamolvej, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, confirmed that the search area is expected to be cleared by next week. After the site is returned to the SAO, BMA teams and related agencies will remain on standby to assist the police with any necessary support—such as machinery, CCTV footage, and electrical systems.

Regarding the search for eight bodies still believed to be trapped as of yesterday, one case was resolved today after a family member withdrew their missing person report upon realizing there had been a misunderstanding: the individual in question was not working inside the building but was simply meeting someone nearby. As a result, the number of missing persons now stands at seven, Tavida said.

Today’s efforts will focus on Zone B and the remaining two elevator shafts, which are expected to be cleared by the end of the day. A K9 unit had previously detected a scent in Zone B, which turned out to be decomposing food—not human remains. Some private contractors have begun removing their equipment from the site, with the electrical authority assisting to ensure safety during the process due to concerns about electrical hazards, she added.

As for debris removal, a total of 129 truckloads of concrete have been cleared between yesterday and today. Machinery repairs are also ongoing to ensure operations continue without disruption, said the Deputy Governor.