Four bodies recovered from SAO building sent for forensic examination

The bodies of four victims trapped beneath the debris of the State Audit Office (SAO) building have been recovered and sent to the Police General Hospital for examination on Sunday.

The 30-storey building, located in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district, collapsed following an earthquake on March 28. According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, a total of 103 individuals have been affected by the incident as of Sunday. 

This includes 47 confirmed fatalities and nine injuries. Authorities continue to search for the remaining 47 individuals believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), stated that the four intact bodies recovered belonged to a team working on the 19th floor of the building.

“Evidence from two of the bodies matches missing persons reported by the construction company,” he said, adding that six additional sets of human remains were also found and sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital for examination.Suriyachai noted that the height of debris in Zones A and D has been reduced to 10.52 metres, while Zones B and C have been brought down to 9.36 metres.

The current operation is focused on opening up Zone B to connect with Zone C, a section nearly 10 metres in length. Approximately five to six metres of debris still need to be cleared to complete the connection.

Regarding the area in Zone B where a vital sign was previously detected, he stated that it has not yet been accessed, with around three metres of debris still obstructing the way.

In Zones A and D, teams are continuing to chip away at the concrete and cut through steel reinforcements to further reduce the structure’s height.

If workers can consistently reduce the debris by one metre per day, Suriyachai expressed hope that demolition efforts would reach the first floor by the end of the month. He added that officials are adjusting the demolition plan and assessing how densely packed the steel and concrete are in the basement.

He believes that the 47 missing victims were located between the first and 15th floors at the time of the collapse, with some workers on the fifth and sixth floors potentially having fallen into the basement.

Meanwhile, officials from the Office of Police Forensic Science, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning continue to collect evidence at the scene as part of the ongoing investigation.

In an effort to alleviate disruption to local businesses, particularly around the JJ Outlet, one lane of Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road near the SAO building has been reopened.

(2025/04/21-00:00)