Bangkok skyscraper collapsed in the blink of an eye: Survivor
The building was being constructed to house government officials, and survivor Aung said the building collapsed just after his brother had entered to start his shift
It took merely a second for a 30-storey high government building in Bangkok to collapse after a strong earthquake jolted Myanmar and Thailand yesterday (28 March), according to a survivor who cheated death luckily.
"When I went outside, I saw dust everywhere and I just ran to escape from the collapsing building," Khin Aung said.
Searching for their loved ones, family members of the missing persons gathered at the spot where once stood the skyscraper, hoping that their known faces were still alive and make a comeback, reports The Straits Times.
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The building was being constructed to house government officials, and survivor Aung said the building collapsed just after his brother had entered to start his shift.
"When my shift ended around 1pm I went outside to get water and I saw my younger brother before I went out," he told AFP. "I video-called my brother and friends but only one picked up the phone. But I couldn't see his face and I heard he was running."
Tremors from the 7.7-magnitude quake centred in neighbouring Myanmar hit Bangkok around 1:20pm (2:20pm Singapore time), shaking the building.
"At that point, the whole building was shaking but while I was on a call with him, I lost the call and the building collapsed," said Aung.
Authorities say up to 100 workers may be trapped in the mass of rubble and twisted metal that is all that remains of the tower. At least five are confirmed dead but the toll is almost certain to rise.
"I can't describe how I feel – it happened in the blink of an eye," said Khin Aung.
"All my friends and my brother were in the building when it collapsed. I don't have any words to say," he said.
Bangkok's skyline is ever-changing, with buildings constantly torn down and shiny new skyscrapers thrown up.
The ceaseless reinvention is powered by an army of labourers, a huge proportion of whom are drawn from Myanmar by the prospect of regular work, a peaceful country and better wages than at home.
Many relatives of workers from Myanmar gathered at the site on 29 March hoping for news of the missing.
Khin Aung and his brother – married with two children – have been working in Bangkok for six months.
"I heard they sent 20 workers to hospital but I don't know who are they and whether my friends and brother are among them," he said.
"I hope my brother and friends are in hospital. If they are at the hospital, I have hope. If they are under this building, there is no hope for them to survive," he added.
Thai woman Chanpen Kaewnoi, 39, waited anxiously for news of her mother and sister, who were in the building when it went down.
"My colleague called and said she couldn't find my mum or my sister. I thought mum might have slipped and maybe my sister stayed to help her," she told AFP.
"I want to see them, I hope I can find them. I hope they will not be lost. I still have hope, 50%," she said.
As distraught families waited for news, rescue workers pressed on with the delicate task of searching the ruins without triggering further collapses.
