Rescue teams in Bangkok are racing against time to find survivors after a 30-story building collapsed following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in neighboring Myanmar on Friday.
The disaster has left the city shaken, with emergency responders using drone technology, sniffer dogs, and cranes to search through the massive debris field.
Authorities say there is a critical 72-hour window to locate and rescue those trapped, with some believed to be buried meters underground.
At the time of the collapse, over a hundred workers, including migrant laborers from Myanmar, were inside the structure.
As of Monday morning, the Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that at least 15 people had been found showing signs of life.
In the wake of Friday’s earthquake, fear gripped Bangkok on Monday morning, March 31, as reports of vibrations and visible cracks led to evacuations at multiple buildings.
Workers fled in panic from key government offices, including the Government Complex, the Ministry of Labor, the Government Housing Bank headquarters, the Criminal Court, and the Social Security Office.
The Revenue Department responded by directing staff at its headquarters to work from home as a precautionary measure.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt acknowledged the growing anxiety among residents, noting that the city had received approximately 2,000 reports of earthquake-related damage.
More than 700 cases of structural damage are now under urgent inspection, prioritized by severity. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has launched a comprehensive assessment to ensure the safety of buildings across the capital.
As of today, the BMA reported 20 deaths, 32 injuries, and at least 80 people still unaccounted for, most of them believed to be trapped beneath the collapsed building.
The earthquake, which struck near Mandalay and Sagaing in Myanmar around midday on March 28, caused widespread destruction in the region.
The tremors were strongly felt in Bangkok, where buildings swayed, windows shattered, and thousands of people ran into the streets in shock. Earthquakes of this magnitude are rare in Thailand, making the event particularly unsettling for residents.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, expressed deep solidarity and spiritual closeness to the Thai people in the wake of the disaster.
In a letter to Bishop Joseph Chusak Sirisut of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, Cardinal Tagle wrote: “As a member of the one body of Christ, we unite our prayers with yours for the victims, their families, and all those affected by the tragedy. We share in your grief and walk with you in hope.”
Rescue teams continue efforts to locate survivors during the critical hours following the disaster, while authorities and humanitarian groups provide assistance to affected communities.
