Worker's wife prays for a miracle, hoping husband survives collapse
Another worker recounted his near-death moment, fleeing as the building collapsed before his eyes.
Late last night, the news team spoke with a construction worker at the new State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak, which collapsed on Friday afternoon (March 28) following a powerful earthquake. He was installing the electrical system and revealed that nine of his colleagues were missing.
He said at the time of the incident, workers were present on every floor, from the 1st to the 33rd—the top floor. Some were resting during their lunch break, with some even asleep. The worker himself was on the 1st floor, and as soon as he felt the building shaking, he ran outside immediately. However, those on other floors, especially the higher ones, had no chance to escape.
A construction worker from Sisaket is searching for his 60-year-old mother-in-law and wife, who were also working at the site. He recounted that they had been working on the 5th floor, but he survived because he had gone down to the 1st floor to use the restroom. When the tremors began, he rushed out of the restroom—without even having time to put his pants back on.
Another colleague, also on the 5th floor, managed to escape down the fire escape. Just moments after stepping outside, less than two minutes later, the building collapsed before his eyes. Now, he is praying for the safety of his wife and mother-in-law.
A Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) employee is desperately searching for her husband, who went missing in the collapsed building. In tears, she stood by the rubble, calling out his name, pleading for him to come out. She reminded him of their plan to have "mu kratha" together, saying, "I'm waiting for you. We promised to go eat mu kratha together—please come out."
The missing man’s wife recounted that her husband was a steelworker. She last spoke with him around 11am, when he told her he was having lunch on the 33rd floor. After learning about the collapse, she tried calling him repeatedly but could not reach him. None of his colleagues could be contacted either.
Now, she clings to hope for a miracle. No matter how injured or disabled he might be, she says she will take care of him—she just wants him to survive. He once told her that once they finished paying off their house and car, he would leave construction work behind and return to live with her in Nan province.
