A 33-storey high-rise collapsed in Thailand’s Bangkok after a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar and tremors were felt across the South Asian region on Friday afternoon, with aftershocks striking the region multiple times.
The unfinished building was reduced to rubble in a few seconds, and it was a race against time to search for survivors. However, the Bangkok police told NDTV that “Most of the victims are probably dead and there’s less than one per cent chance of finding any survivors.”
The Bangkok cops added that they “have not pulled out anyone alive so far, despite having all the necessary equipment for a rescue operation, and it would take at least two months to clear the wreckage.”
Read more: Bangkok Ground Report: Rubble Mountain, 50 Trapped And A Race Against Time
According to news agency AFP, as of Sunday, 17 deaths have been confirmed, with 32 injured and 83 still unaccounted for – most of them construction workers from the site of the collapsed building.
China Connection
A China connection has also surfaced in the Bangkok skyscraper, which belonged to Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO). It had been under construction for three years at a reported cost of over two billion baht (45 million pounds).
The Telegraph in the UK reported that the SAO building was a joint venture between the Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. The latter is a subsidiary of China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group Company, which holds a 49 per cent stake – the maximum foreign ownership allowed under Thai law.
Read more: China Connection Emerges In Bangkok Skyscraper That Collapsed During Quake
The Chinese-backed firm is now under probe. The Bangkok police told NDTV, they are “aware that the Chinese company was constructing the building, but they can’t take shortcuts to blame China.”
Experts have questioned the structural integrity of the under-construction building, with some claiming that only 10 per cent of the buildings in Bangkok are earthquake-proof, and hotels have issued notices to guests about areas under inspection and the possibility of evacuation if issues are found.
Trail Of Destruction Across Borders
Over 1,600 people have died in Myanmar, and several thousand have been injured. The tremors, which originated northwest of Sagaing, demolished buildings and infrastructure across Mandalay, one of Myanmar’s largest cities.
Myanmar’s junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, issued a rare international plea for aid, a stark departure from the regime’s usual stance of rejecting foreign assistance. The country has declared a state of emergency across six regions, and hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties.
