Bangkok: On the 11th day of the operation to clear the collapsed Office of the Auditor General building, officials are continuing to use heavy machinery to clear the debris, especially in Zones B and C, where it is believed that many people are trapped.
According to Thai News Agency, today, officials focused on using heavy equipment to dismantle the collapsed Office of the Auditor General building, especially the structural part. However, they had to proceed with caution because there were large concrete blocks and many steel bars in the pile of debris that were ready to fall down.
Mr. Anwut Pho-Amphai, or Nai Yot, an officer of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, revealed that around noon, officers were able to drill holes into several zones, especially Zone C, which is behind the mountain of collapsed buildings. They were able to open the area and drill holes quite deep. They then sent a combined rescue team, including the Bangkok Rescue Team and the Ruamkatanyu Foundation Rescue Team, to investigate. They were able to go down vertically to a depth of about 5-6 meters. From the survey, it was found that inside was an elevator shaft. While surveying, the rescue team smelled a strong stench, but they still did not find the victims, so they ordered them to go up first.
Therefore, since the afternoon, the focus has been on using heavy equipment to drill into Zone C and Zone B with the hope of bringing the victims up, no matter what condition they are in. Last night, officials found several pieces of human remains, so they believe that many people were crushed by heavy objects, which may have changed their physical appearance.
Zone A and Zone D, which are adjacent to each other and are in the front where everyone can see, today we used a backhoe to open the shared area. However, we had to do it carefully because opening the front area could cause the structure to slope down and be dangerous.
Overview of the progress of the demolition of the building. Currently, 30% of the main structure has been completed. However, there is concern that the missing persons are in the base behind Zones B and C, which is very thick because it is a connection to the parking building. If the victims are there, it will take a long time because that point is hard and must be dismantled last. It is confirmed that the work is not delayed, but everything must be under the safety of the workers. If carelessness occurs, the structure may collapse again and be dangerous to the workers.
And because this morning there was heavy rain in the area, many areas became muddy, causing some areas of the ground to collapse into a basin, causing a backhoe to get stuck while working. Mr. Anwut revealed that the collapse may have been caused by a cavity at the bottom, causing the ground to collapse slightly. From the inspection, it was found that no one was injured. Currently, they are rushing to bring the backhoe up into the mud basin.
However, he admitted that all the team members were tired, but confirmed that they would continue with their assigned mission until the last victim could be brought out. Despite the drama, many people have sent encouragement, so their morale is still good. As for the scan for vital signs, they have not found any at this time, so the overall location is that they are in a pile of rubble in the building, but it is unknown at what level, as the shot was taken from a high angle.
As for the withdrawal of missions by various teams, whether it is K9, robot team, area scanning team that is a supplementary team to support rescue equipment, it is not an obstacle to the work because the focus is now on using heavy equipment to open the area. When finding objects or anything that is suspected to be a human body, the rescue team will go in to inspect.