By Kenny Teng
BANGKOK, March 29 (Bernama) -- "I have hopes and pray that my husband, along with five other family friends, will come out alive," says Narvemol Thonglek, whose husband is among the victims trapped in the building collapse in Chatuchak on Friday.
A tearful Narvemol, 43, from Bangkok, recounted the voice conversation she had with her husband, Kyi Than, 45, from Myanmar, early Friday morning before the incident occurred.
"We were constantly in touch, and he told me that his team was working on the 26th floor of the building. However, in the afternoon, I saw on the news that the construction building had collapsed.
"I repeatedly tried to call Kyi or the five other family friends who were working on the site, but to no avail," she told reporters at the scene on Saturday.
She is clinging to shreds of hope that her loved ones, who were working in the construction building when it collapsed, might be found alive.
"No matter what happens, I still wish to see all of them. I will continue to pray for their safety, and I believe in miracles," said Narvemol who has been waiting at the scene since early Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, hundreds of rescue workers were seen desperately searching for survivors at the collapsed 30-storey skyscraper at a construction site in Thailand's capital.
On Friday, the construction site of a new 30-storey government building collapsed following a powerful earthquake that rocked Myanmar and jolted the Thai capital in the afternoon.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported on Friday evening that seven people had been confirmed dead at the construction site and that more than 100 workers were still missing.
Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), in a statement, said that the BMA emergency units, military personnel, police officers, volunteers, and relevant organisations have been actively assisting those trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The DDPM said the Prime Minister had also instructed the National Command Centre for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to closely monitor aftershocks and directed Regional Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Centres 1-18 to prepare disaster response machinery to support affected provinces and promptly assist impacted residents.
"The Director-General of the DDPM has ordered provincial incident command centres to monitor the situation and assess potential impacts, provide clear communication to the public to prevent panic, and educate people on safety protocols and available government assistance.
"Damage surveys and relief efforts are being carried out in accordance with official guidelines and regulations," it said.
The statement added that the National Command Centre for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation had elevated the disaster management operation to a major disaster response (Level 3) in accordance with the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan (2021–2030).
"This is to ensure a unified response and coordination among all agencies involved in assisting affected residents, with the Minister of the Interior serving as the incident commander.
"The DDPM has deployed 18 members of its Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, along with over 14 types of tools, equipment, and disaster response machinery from Regional Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Centres in Pathum Thani (Region 1), Suphan Buri (Region 2), Prachin Buri (Region 3), and Chai Nat (Region 16). They are supporting rescue operations in Bangkok," the statement said.
It was reported that the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) and the Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) resumed their operations early Saturday morning.
-- BERNAMA
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