Death toll in SAO building collapse climbs to 32

Thirty-two people are confirmed dead and 62 others are still listed as missing, as the search continues, following the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district on March 28th, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Surachai Veerawan, director of the BMA’s public disaster prevention and mitigation office, told the media today that rescuers, using machinery, managed to dig a 4m3 cavity into the debris, but still cannot reach the spot where a light signal was detected, due to a huge cement block, weighing about 10 tonnes, and a web of tangled steel rebar.

He said that the search was temporarily halted for safety reasons, as rescuers met to discuss how best to proceed.

Surachai also said that no more light or life signs have been detected since late yesterday.

Meanwhile, AIiyawut Ampai, head of the Ruam Katanyu Foundation rescue team, said that two more bodies were retrieved from zone C of the debris after midnight last night. The remains have been taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Police General Hospital for identification.