50-metre-deep Sinkhole Emerges In Bangkok’s Dusit District

By Kenny Teng

BANGKOK, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- A major road collapse in Bangkok’s Dusit district on Wednesday morning created a 50-metre-deep sinkhole near Vajira Hospital, forcing evacuations and causing severe traffic disruptions.

According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the collapse on Samsen Road occurred at around 6.30 am, disrupting utilities and severely affecting traffic flow in the vicinity.

BMA said initial inspections found that the subsidence occurred near hospital buildings, causing two electricity poles and a forklift truck belonging to the Samsen Metropolitan Police Station to fall into the sinkhole.

BMA in a statement on Wednesday said an evacuation order was issued for residents of nearby flats.

“Authorities have begun evacuating patients and residents from the surrounding area for safety reasons,” it said, adding that Metropolitan Electricity Authority officials were dispatched to the site to address the situation.

Traffic has been closed from Vajira Intersection to Sanghi Intersection and in the surrounding areas due to the collapse, which has affected nearby public utilities and may pose a danger to commuters in the vicinity.

Local authorities confirmed that no injuries have been reported so far.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the site to inspect and assess the situation, and to coordinate assistance in addressing the road subsidence.

-- BERNAMA