Early Wednesday, a section of a bustling road in Thailand’s capital collapsed, creating a massive hole in front of a major hospital, prompting nearby evacuations.
Near a local police station and Vajira Hospital in Bangkok’s residential area, a 50-meter (160-foot) sinkhole disrupted power lines and exposed a burst pipe flooding the area, as observed by AFP journalists.
Authorities, including police and city officials, secured the perimeter, while a pickup truck precariously balanced on the hole’s edge.
Suriyachai Rawiwan, head of Bangkok’s disaster prevention department, informed AFP that heavy rains and a leaking pipe likely caused the collapse.
“A water pipe leak eroded the ground beneath, leading to this incident,” he explained, confirming no reported casualties.
“The eroded soil fell into a subway station under construction, triggering the collapse,” Suriyachai noted.
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Watch the gradual road sinking as water poured from a drainage pipe.
The tunnel is part of a state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority underground project, which pledged to investigate the cave-in cause.
Suriyachai confirmed the evacuation of the police station facing the collapsed road.
Senior officer Sayam Boonsom ordered the evacuation of nearby residential buildings.
“The location at the station absorbed the soil, leading to the collapse,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt stated to AFP.
An AFP-verified video on social media shows people fleeing a construction site on Samsen Road as the street breaks and collapses into a water-filled chasm.
Vajira Hospital, a leading medical university’s teaching facility, announced on Facebook the suspension of outpatient services, promising to “resume as soon as possible.”
Noppadech Pitpeng, a 27-year-old hospital employee living nearby, described a frightening morning noise like a collapsing electricity pole, shaking his apartment.
“The noise woke me up—it was terrifying,” he said, carrying clothes out in a large bucket.
