BY KENNY TENG
BANGKOK: The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has declared six severely damaged condominiums uninhabitable following a powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar and caused tremors in the Thai capital on Friday.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt reported that nearly 1,000 reports have been submitted by affected building management teams, and assessments have been conducted.
According to Chadchart, the quake caused damage to many high-rise buildings in the capital, and the BMA has stationed five to six expert engineers at the command centre to evaluate structural integrity.
“So far, six buildings have been deemed severely affected and unfit for occupancy. Engineers will conduct further on-site assessments by tonight,” he told a press conference after meeting with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra late Friday evening.
He added that the BMA has mobilised qualified engineers from both government and private sectors across Bangkok to assist in building inspections.
“The Prime Minister has also instructed other agencies with engineers to join the effort to expedite the recovery process,” he said.
A survey by Bernama found that traffic across Bangkok was paralysed due to the earthquake, which caused all light rail mass transit operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) and Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT), to be temporarily suspended.
Many people left their workplaces and schools immediately, but commuters were stuck on streets due to heavy congestion while many were seen walking back home.
Chadchart said Lumpini, Benjasiri, Benjakitti, and Chatuchak parks would remain open all night on Friday to accommodate those who could not return home.
He said City Hall deployed mobile toilets and distributed drinking water at the parks to accommodate disaster victims who feel unsafe in their homes or those unable to return home.
Meanwhile, the Bangkok Emergency Medical Centre, better known as the Erawan Centre, the main provider of emergency medical services in Bangkok, has reported six fatalities resulting from the earthquake.
As of 9.30 pm local time on Friday, the Erawan Centre confirmed that the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak had claimed five lives, while a crane collapse at the Bang Pho intersection resulted in one fatality.
Thai local media reported that the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced that all flights in and out of Bangkok were operating normally following the quake that rattled the city. – BERNAMA
