The collapse of a 30-story building under construction was “not normal,” an engineering expert said. It was one of the biggest projects ever done by a Chinese state-owned company.
Aubonrat Setnawet, an electrician’s helper, was working with her husband on the 23rd floor of a new office tower on the northern edge of Bangkok moments before disaster struck.
She needed to get some equipment, so she took the construction elevator to the ground floor. Suddenly, she felt the ground sway beneath her and, with two sharp cracking sounds, the unfinished building began to collapse.
With her cellphone in hand, she ran to escape the falling debris as a huge dust cloud rose. She tried calling her husband, Nuguy Setnawet, an electrician, but her calls did not go through.
Since then, she has remained at the site, watching quietly as rescuers search for survivors. The news has been grim. Eight bodies were recovered from the scene on Friday but only one on Saturday.
“I am still here waiting, waiting for a miracle,” Ms. Aubonrat said.
About 80 people believed to have been in the 30-story building at the time of the collapse remain unaccounted for.
