Bangkok: Heavy rain this morning has increased the obstacles to searching for victims and dismantling the collapsed Office of the Auditor General building. All officers had to temporarily stop their missions. Today, they will focus on using heavy machinery to reach Zone B and Zone C, which have what looks like human bodies stuck in the debris. The K9 team has announced the end of the search for the missing persons.
According to Thai News Agency, heavy rain that continued for more than an hour this morning increased the obstacles in searching for victims and removing debris from the collapsed building. Operations involving large machinery, officers, and K9 dogs had to be temporarily halted. Once the rain ceased, efforts resumed with the use of heavy machinery to remove concrete slabs and drain water from the affected area.
This morning, the K9 USAR Thailand team concluded their search operation for missing persons. Mr. Suthikiat Sophonik, Director of the National Rescue Dog Organization, stated that after participating in the mission since March 28th, the team adhered to USAR regulations requiring operations to last no less than 7-10 days. Continuing beyond this point could pose risks to the team, prompting the decision to hand over the responsibility to other teams.
Throughout the previous night, officials persisted in their search for victims trapped inside the wreckage. Heavy machinery was used intermittently with search teams and K9 dogs to locate victims amidst the debris.
At approximately 11:30 p.m., the use of heavy machinery was temporarily paused upon discovering suspicious areas potentially containing trapped individuals. Coordination with search and rescue teams, volunteers, and K9 dogs took place across Zones A, B, C, and D to locate victims.
A search team was dispatched to zones A, B, and C. In Zone B, officers discovered human remains, including a left wrist, though the gender could not be identified. Additional pieces of flesh were found in the same area. A deceased individual was located in the rubble but could not be extracted. In Zone C, remains resembling a scalp were discovered. Zone D yielded no findings of remains or missing persons.
Mr. Anwut Pho-ampai, head of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation rescue vehicle, reported that several suspicious points resembling human bodies were found in the wreckage of Zones B and C. However, structural obstacles prevented their removal. Large machinery was redeployed to dismantle the wreckage. The five human remains located in Zones B and C were sent to the Police General Hospital forensic department for examination.
The current plan involves continuing the demolition of the collapsed building, prioritizing access to Zones B and C, believed to contain many trapped individuals, using heavy machinery.
The death toll has reached 18, with 9 people injured. The number of missing persons stands at 76, leaving families and relatives clinging to hope.