Quake, flood and collapse: Thailand’s year of disaster-planning failures

Nature delivered two sudden blows to Thailand in 2025 – an earthquake in Bangkok and devastating floods in Hat Yai – but the real shock was how gaps in disaster preparedness turned freak events into preventable tragedies.

They left hundreds dead while exposing the country’s vulnerabilities on several fronts.

In contrast, the rapid response when a sinkhole opened up in the heart of Bangkok showed the crucial importance of timely action when lives are in danger.

Deadly quake that shook public confidence

Powerful earthquakes are rare in Thailand, which is not located near major tectonic faultlines. Seismic tremors are more common, but these usually ripple through relatively small areas causing little or no damage.

However, this year proved that major seismic activity does not always respect geography.

On March 28, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake ripped through central Myanmar, near Mandalay, and radiated to the Thai capital over 1,300 kilometres away.

Locals and tourists rushed to escape swaying skyscrapers, as rooftop infinity pools emptied like waterfalls onto pavements below. BTS Skytrain passengers reported feeling like they were on a boat in a rough sea. Both the BTS and the MRT underground were suspended almost immediately.

While Myanmar recorded over 5,000 deaths as cities, towns and villages around the epicentre suffered widespread destruction, the earthquake was much weaker in Bangkok – which should have escaped unscathed.

However, disaster struck the Thai capital when a 30-storey building under construction in Chatuchak district toppled in the tremors, killing at least 91 people and injuring several others.

The tower, being built for the State Audit Office by a Thai-Chinese joint venture, was the only major building in Thailand to collapse in the earthquake.

The disaster triggered questions of possible corruption, and a police investigation resulted in around two dozen arrest warrants issued for Chinese and Thai company officials over alleged poor construction standards and collusion in securing the project.

Legal proceedings are ongoing

The aftershocks also caused cracks in several buildings in the capital, prompting locals to question the quality of construction and whether the developers had cut corners. They also demanded tighter government scrutiny of construction and real-estate companies.

Although Bangkok authorities rushed to inspect skyscrapers across the city and the government pledged more transparency in state projects, public anger persists over the loss of life and 2 billion baht of taxpayers’ money tossed away on the project.

Also causing public frustration was the lack of any timely alert from authorities, which would have helped prevent confusion and panic. When the earthquake hit Bangkok, many people reported feeling dizzy and mistook the sensation for a sudden health problem such as a stroke.

Only after turning to the internet or other sources did they learn that Bangkok was being rocked by tremor from a massive earthquake in Myanmar.

Later in the year, the government finally set up a national phone-messaging disaster-warning system. It quickly showed its worth, alerting residents about possible flooding in their areas.

Flood of mistakes

Though floods are not new to Thailand, the public was shocked by the scale of November’s disaster in Songkhla’s Hat Yai. The deluge lasted about five days and claimed at least 145 lives while causing tens of billions of baht in damages.

The Kasikorn Research Centre estimated the losses at more than 25 billion baht, assuming recovery efforts can restore normality within this month.

Experts say the disaster could have been prevented had authorities assessed the situation accurately and evacuated residents before the city was hit by record-breaking rainfall.

Heavy rain had been forecast by the Thai Meteorological Department but authorities dithered over issuing warnings.

On November 21, the southern economic hub was battered by a cyclone that dumped about 335 millimetres of rain in 24 hours and nearly 1 metre over five days.

Satellite images released on November 25 showed 84,000 rai (13,440 hectares) were submerged by floodwaters up to 5 metres deep.

Mixed messages from the authorities reportedly left locals confused about whether they should stay put or shift to higher ground.

Many residents decided to stay after Hat Yai mayor Narongporn Na Phatthalung assured them on November 19 and again on November 23 that everything was under control.

As days went by, thousands of Hat Yai residents found themselves trapped in their homes by rising floodwaters. Some were rescued by boat after climbing through their first-floor windows. Many others died before help arrived.

Rescue efforts were hampered by surging currents that capsized boats. In one incident, a young girl was swept away when the boat carrying her family overturned in swirling floodwater. She was later found dead as the water receded.

With confusing signals about the impending disaster’s scale from authorities, many Hat Yai residents were left unprepared, without food or drinking water for several days.

Once the waters subsided, many found they had lost nearly everything to the disaster.

Mayor Narongporn issued a public apology and promised never to run for office again, although experts noted that he was far from the only official to blame for the gaping holes in flood management.

Sinking feeling in central Bangkok

On September 24, as the first trickle of rush hour began flowing on Bangkok streets, traffic police noticed that a stretch of Samsen Road had subsided slightly. At 5.40am, they cordoned off the area with traffic cones, unaware that the minor problem was about to escalate into a catastrophe that would make headlines around the world.

Ten minutes later, the road surface was inexplicably inundated by water, and five minutes after that it began to sink. With the Bangkok rush hour about to begin, they decided to limit traffic to the one lane that looked safe.

However, by 6.50am, it was clear that the busy thoroughfare of Samsen Road was sinking, and it was closed to traffic. Just 20 minutes later, a giant sinkhole opened in front of Vajira Hospital and the newly constructed Samsen Police Station.

The crater initially spanned 30 by 30 metres and about 50 metres deep but slowly began expanding, swallowing a police tow truck and two other vehicles as well as electricity poles.

Authorities rushed to evacuate patients, hospital staff and residents while cutting off the utilities. The rapid response ensured no one was badly injured in the calamity.

Investigators pointed the finger of blame at saturated soil from heavy rainfall, as well as construction of an underground station and tunnel for the MRT Purple Line.

The sinkhole has been filled, but Samsen Road remains impassable as of press time.