CNN reported that on March 29, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt announced that rescuers had detected “vital signs from 15 individuals still trapped” beneath the rubble of a collapsed tower near Bangkok’s bustling Chatuchak Market.
“No delays, no stops – every second counts in saving lives,” Chadchart Sittipunt said, adding that heavy machinery has been deployed to remove debris from the collapsed structure in the “urgent” search of survivors.
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Scores of construction workers remain missing at the site, as the rescue effort heads into its second day. Authorities previously estimated that over 100 people might be trapped under the wreckage.
In Bangkok, thousands experienced the quake’s effects as buildings swayed and water sloshed out of swimming pools. Officials said they received 2,000 reports of cracks appearing in buildings.
Sebastian Wolff via Storyful
Rescue operations are underway not only in Bangkok, Thailand, but also in cities across Myanmar, including Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw, following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the region a day earlier.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake in Myanmar Friday has climbed to more than 1,600, and officials say they expect that number to rise even further. The search for those still buried under the rubble, meanwhile, continues. One woman was pulled out of the wreckage of a 12-story apartment building in Mandalay alive.
Source: CNN, BBC, npr.org