A part of a road in Bangkok collapsed near a hospital on Wednesday and created a massive sinkhole that swallowed cars and electricity poles, prompting residents in the vicinity to evacuate.
The portion of the road above an under-construction subway station collapsed in the morning hours, creating a hole of about 20 metres (65 feet) deep and at least 30 metres wide on Samsen Road, authorities said.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said there were no casualties, but three vehicles were damaged by the collapse. He added that the collapse took place when a tunnel under the road caved in, causing the soil above to shift quickly and slide into the underground station.
The slide was further worsened by broken pipes that poured water into the hole.
“We’re monitoring the damage and rushing to backfill the gap,” Sittpunt said, adding that “the situation has somewhat stabilised, though sliding may continue slightly”.
Videos of the collapse went viral on social media, showing the moment the road went down and created a large sinkhole. The collapse pulled down several electricity poles with it and damaged water pipes.
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Cars, which were part of the moving traffic on the nearby road, tried to back away as the sinkhole grew larger by the minute, completely destroying the four-lane road.
The sinkhole grew bigger as the final edge of the road collapsed right in front of a police station, exposing the building’s complete underground structure.
In view of the massive collapse, the nearby Vajira hospital said it would close the outpatient services for two days, but those receiving inpatient treatment remain in the premises. The Bangkok governor said the hospital is considered safe due to its underground foundational walls.
Sittpunt said that a nearby police station has been declared a danger zone, adding that it could collapse since the sinkhole slide damaged its foundation.
Meanwhile, officials have also cut electricity and water supply in the area, with the governor saying that concerned authorities are working to fix the hole as soon as possible. The collapse also causes worry amid doubts of heavy rain in the current monsoon season, which could further increase the damage.
Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that dirt from an underground train construction was sliding in, adding that “luckily, there are no deaths or injuries”.
What caused the sinkhole?
Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of Bangkok’s disaster prevention department, told AFP that the collapse was likely caused by the recent heavy rain and a leaky pipe.
“There was a leak in the water pipe — water from the pipe eroded (earth) under the road so this incident happened,” he said.
Suriyachai further said, “The water that eroded brought some soil that dropped down to an under-construction subway station, causing the collapse.”
The subway station was being built by the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, which said it would probe the cause of the cave-in.
