Massive Sinkhole Opens In Bangkok, Swallows Cars And Power Poles

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A road collapse in Thailand's capital, Bangkok , on early Wednesday left a massive hole that swallowed cars and power poles.

The road caved in directly in front of a local police station and Vajira Hospital, creating a sinkhole roughly 50 meters (160 feet) wide and dozens of meters deep.

The sudden collapse caused significant infrastructure damage, tearing down power lines and exposing a burst water pipe that gushed water into the void. Emergency crews and police quickly cordoned off the site, with a pickup truck seen precariously balanced on the edge of the chasm.

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After the incident, people in the vicinity were evacuated to ensure their safety.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of Bangkok's disaster prevention department, told AFP at the scene that the collapse was likely linked to 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, adding that there were no known casualties.

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“The water that eroded brought some soil that dropped down to an under-construction subway station, causing the collapse,” Suriyachai added.

The tunnel is part of an underground train service being built by the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, which said it would probe the cause of the cave-in.

Suriyachai said the local police station facing the collapsed road was evacuated.

Following the incident, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the road subsidence occurred above the joint between the tunnel for the dual-track train line and a planned new station, reported SCMP.

“Once the land slipped into that tunnel, then the whole tunnel collapsed. It also burst a pipe and the water made everything collapse further,” Chadchart said in a video posted on social media.

“We're assessing the damage at the moment, we think that the hospital should be spared. But we need to plug the hole immediately before everything else is pulled down there, too.”

Infrastructure damage

The sudden collapse, captured on a video shared on social media, showed several people running as the street cracked open and collapsed into a water-filled hole.

The incident caused significant infrastructure damage, tearing down power lines and exposing a burst water pipe that gushed water into the void. Emergency crews and police quickly cordoned off the site, with a pickup truck seen precariously balanced on the edge of the chasm.

In response to the incident, Vajira Hospital, a teaching facility for one of Thailand's top medical universities, announced on Facebook that it was suspending outpatient services. The post stated that services would“resume as soon as possible”.

According to an AFP report, a hospital staffer, Noppadech Pitpeng, 27, who lives in a nearby building, described the harrowing experience.

“The sound was like an electricity pole collapsing, and my whole flat shook,” he said.

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