Collapsing shop house awning kills one in Bangkok’s Chinatown

One person was killed and a number of cars were damaged when the concrete balcony awning of an old two-storey building on the Charoen Krung Road, in Talad Noi area of Samphanthawong district of Bangkok, collapsed on Saturday afternoon.

An initial police report indicates that the victim was walking on the pavement below when the awning suddenly collapsed on him. Debris also fell on cars which were parked on the roadside.

The emergency services pulled the victim out of the rubble and rushed him to the nearest hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after admission.

Dr. Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, said that the cause of the collapse of the balcony awning is not known yet, but he assumes that the building was very old and the steel supports might have rusted.

He also said that inspectors should find out whether the awning had been modified or something heavy had been placed upon it.

Samphanthawong district chief officer Thanadej Chankaew ordered a temporary ban on the use of five shop houses and all occupants have been evacuated pending an assessment of the buildings’ safety.

Electricity supply to the adjoining shop houses has been cut and a separate lighting system has been installed to enable removal of the fallen awning and concrete debris.

Thanadej said that the shop houses are more than 100 years old and they were built without pilings.