A huge section of road collapsed in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Wednesday, leaving a large sinkhole that has forced evacuations of the surrounding area. According to Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt, officials believe the collapse was caused by the ongoing construction of an underground train station nearby.
There are no reports of casualties, but the collapse damaged three vehicles and caused major traffic disruptions. Videos of the moment of the collapse show the face of the road slowly sinking down, pulling down several electricity poles and damaging water pipes. One edge of the 164-foot (50m) hole stopped right in front of a police station, exposing its underground structure. A nearby hospital said it would close outpatient services for two days.
“We’re monitoring the damage and rushing to backfill the gap,” Mr Sittpunt said, adding that “the situation has somewhat stabilised, though sliding may continue slightly”.
Bangkok city officials said the hospital’s structure was not affected, but people were ordered to be evacuated from the police station and other nearby buildings.
In the footage, cars can be seen trying to back away as the hole grows larger, with people on foot fleeing, before it completely severed the four-lane road.
Authorities have warned that heavy rains, part of Thailand’s current monsoon season, could worsen the damage.
This comes as other parts of Asia brace for Super Typhoon Ragasa, nicknamed the “king of storms”. At least 15 people have been killed in Taiwan, and dozens more are injured in places like Hong Kong, with the typhoon expected to hit China in a few hours. In preparation, the country has evacuated nearly two million people from its southern Guangdong province.
The equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, Ragasa is the world’s strongest storm this year. The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall at 3pm GMT on Wednesday (11pm local) near the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong.
