Bangkok – When the earthquake that hit Myanmar sent his tremors to Thailand, Naruemon Thonglek did not know immediately that he had also collapsed a high -height building under construction in Bangkok.
Seeing images of the debris in the television news later, Naruemon immediately recognized the building where his partner Burman’s part of a long time, his son and four of his friends had worked during the past month.
“My legs surrendered. I lost all the force in my hands,” he said. “After the earthquake stopped, I called it, I sent it a message, but there was no answer. I could not contact him. I sent him voice messages and he never read it. Then I knew with certainty that I should have been inside.”
At least 18 people died in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, more than 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) of the center of magnitude 7.7 in Myanmar on Friday, which, killed more than 2,000 people there. According to Myanmar state television, the earthquake has so far killed 2,065 people, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing.
Help agencies expect these numbers to increase sharply, since access is slow for remote areas where communications are low.
In Bangkok, 78 people remain missing. The Thai authorities are running against time to find someone who stays live under the ruins as the 72 -hour crucial brand passes. While the authorities have said that they detected possible sounds of life, so far only one person was taken from the rubble.
Tavida Kamolvej, vice governor of Bangkok, told journalists on the site on Monday that the teams are accelerating the search.
“Every second one really counts,” he said.
Among the missing ones are the mother and younger sister of Chanpen Kaewnoi, who had been working on the site for a couple of months.
Chanpen said he couldn’t contact them after the earthquake, but then a survivor told him that he had been on the fifth floor of the 30 -story building.
“He told me that they ran from the fifth floor, and once he reached the ground, the building collapsed,” he said. “He said I couldn’t find my mother and my sister. He said it was just a fraction of a second and that he lost them.”
Naruemon said his partner, Kyi Tan, and the other five were assigned to work much higher on the 26th floor. Although his partner had extensive experience in construction, this was his first high -rise project. When he left his home on the earthquake, he said he would remain late in the hope of finishing his work by the end of the month.
Naruemon and Chanpen said they never listened to their family members to raise security concerns while working in the building.
The authorities said they are investigating the cause of the building collapse as criticism and concerns grow about the safety and quality standards of Bangkok buildings. Chadchart Sittipunt, the city governor, ordered a general inspection of all high -rise buildings in the capital.
The collapse videos show the building, which was destined to be a new state audit office, trembling a little before falling to the ground, sending a large column of dust to heaven while people shout and flee.
When Naruemon arrived at the site the next day, the ruins scene broke his spirit.
“I had a collapse. I could just pray. I kept asking for them,” he said. “I wanted them to come back. I was so devastated. I didn’t know what to do.”
For two days, Naruemon walked near the site with his family and friends, hoping to see any development such as heavy machines and rescue equipment sought survivors. She prayed and made a religious rite asking the spirits to protect their loved ones.
“I want everyone to catch there. In any condition, I agree with that,” he said. “I have already made some peace with that. A few days have passed. A part of me still expects them to survive, for a miracle, if it exists.”
