A roughly 50-meter (160-foot) section of a street in a residential district of Bangkok collapsed, creating a large sinkhole just outside a local police station and Vajira Hospital. The collapse, witnessed by AFP journalists, took down power lines and exposed a burst pipe that gushed water. Police and city officials quickly cordoned off the area, and a pickup truck was seen teetering precariously on the edge of the large hole.
According to Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of Bangkok’s disaster prevention department, the collapse was likely caused by a combination of recent heavy rain and a leaky pipe. He explained, “There was a leak in the water pipe — water from the pipe eroded (earth) under the road so this incident happened.” Suriyachai also added that there were no known casualties. He further detailed that the eroded soil was pulled down into an under-construction subway station, which triggered the collapse of the road above it.
The tunnel is being built by the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, which has announced that it will investigate the cause of the cave-in. Both the local police station facing the collapsed road and nearby apartment buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure, according to officials. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who visited the scene, stated, “The location is at a station, and the soil was sucked into the site … it collapsed.” A video on social media, verified by AFP, shows several people running from the construction area as the street dramatically cracks open and gives way.
Vajira Hospital, a teaching facility, announced on its Facebook page that it was suspending outpatient services and would “resume as soon as possible.” A 27-year-old hospital staffer, Noppadech Pitpeng, who lives in a nearby building, said he was woken up by a frightening rumbling sound on Wednesday morning. He described the sound as “like an electricity pole collapsing,” which caused his entire apartment to shake.
