3 dead, 81 trapped as Bangkok skyscraper collapses after Myanmar earthquake

By Duc Trung March 28, 2025 | 02:43 am PT

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered in Myanmar triggered the collapse of a 34-story building under construction in Bangkok’s Bang Sue District on Friday, leaving three dead and 81 others trapped beneath the rubble.

The collapsed structure was identified as the building for Thailand’s Office of the Auditor General. The earthquake-induced collapse resulted in at least three confirmed fatalities, with emergency rescue operations underway to locate 81 construction workers trapped inside, according to Thai news outlet Khaosod.

Witness Somsak Satkaew, 67, described hearing increasingly loud noises coming from the building after the quake struck. Satkaew quickly evacuated and realized the tremors were due to an earthquake. He noted that construction workers had been urgently shouting warnings to their colleagues.

"The noise kept intensifying, and around 10 minutes later, the entire building came crashing down," said Satkaew. He also mentioned the potential for even greater casualties had the incident occurred during the 4 p.m. shift change, when significantly more workers would have been inside.

Bang Sue’s Deputy Police Chief Worapat Sukthai stated that the collapse likely injured hundreds, though exact numbers are still unconfirmed.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt reported earthquake-related damage across the capital city, but comprehensive casualty data remains unclear, AFP reported.

Footage of the building collapse as shared on Facebook: