Massive Sinkhole in Bangkok Swallows Cars, Prompts Evacuation
About 3,500 patients and residents were evacuated as emergency teams work to stabilize the 50-meter-deep sinkhole that caused infrastructure damage near Vajira Hospital.
- On Wednesday morning, a massive sinkhole approximately 30 metres in both length and width and reaching 50 metres in depth formed on Samsen Road near Vajira Hospital in Bangkok.
- Officials have not confirmed the exact cause but suspect soil disruption from nearby MRT Purple Line construction led to the collapse around 7:13 AM.
- The sinkhole caused a four-lane road to sever, damaged water pipes and electricity poles, sucked in three vehicles and a police vehicle, and disrupted traffic between Vajira and Sanghi intersections.
- Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt confirmed no casualties occurred, about 3,500 inpatients and nearby residents evacuated, and the hospital’s structure remains intact while outpatient services were suspended.
- Emergency and engineering teams including USAR are working to stabilize the site, with authorities monitoring closely amid monsoon season concerns to prevent further damage and ensure public safety.
A portion of a busy road in Thailand’s capital caved in early Wednesday, leaving a hole dozens of meters deep in front of a main hospital and forcing people nearby to evacuate.
Just outside a local police station and Vajira Hospital in a residential district of Bangkok, a roughly 50-meter (160-foot) hole pulled down power lines and exposed a burst pipe gushing water.
