Tragedy Strikes in Bangkok’s Construction Site
Aubonrat Setnawet, an electrician’s assistant, was diligently working alongside her husband on the 23rd floor of a newly constructed office tower situated on the northern outskirts of Bangkok. Just moments before the calamity unfolded, she realized she needed to retrieve some tools and decided to take the construction elevator down to the ground level.
As she descended, an unsettling sensation gripped her; the ground beneath her began to sway ominously. Then, without warning, two sharp cracking sounds pierced the air, and the unfinished building started to collapse around her. Clutching her cellphone tightly, she sprinted to escape the impending disaster, dodging falling debris as a massive cloud of dust engulfed the area.
In a frantic attempt to reach her husband, Nuguy Setnawet, an electrician also working on-site, she tried to call him, but her efforts were in vain as the calls failed to connect. Since the tragedy struck, she has remained at the scene, her heart heavy as she watches rescuers tirelessly search for any survivors amidst the wreckage. The news has been devastating; on Friday, eight bodies were recovered, and only one additional body was found the following day.
“I am still here waiting, waiting for a miracle,” Aubonrat expressed with a mixture of hope and despair.
Meanwhile, family members of those trapped under the rubble have gathered anxiously nearby, desperately seeking news of their loved ones in Bangkok’s Chatuchak neighborhood. As the situation unfolds, it is estimated that around 80 individuals who were present in the 30-story structure at the time of the collapse remain unaccounted for.
