At least 18 people have died in Thailand as a result of the powerful earthquake which struck Myanmar on Friday, while 78 people remain unaccounted for as of Sunday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said.
The number included the 10 people who were killed at the site of the new State Audit Office building in Chatuchak district, which collapsed as the earthquake shook the capital.
The body of the 10th victim was pulled out of the rubble on Saturday. Seventy-eight workers remain unaccounted for as of Sunday, while eight people are currently receiving treatments for injuries sustained from the collapse of the 30-storey building.
The remaining eight deaths were reported elsewhere in the capital, including at a condo construction site where a crane collapsed due to the force of the tremor.
Three people were also injured at a building near Silom Road, when the cables of the elevator they were in snapped during the earthquake.
Search and rescue operations at the State Audit Office building continued on Sunday, with rescue workers deploying a scanning device given by the Israel Embassy in Thailand to help locate those who were still trapped under the rubble, said Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt.
He said the authorities have managed to clear about 80% of the debris which blocked a busy exit ramp along the Din Daeng expressway.
If the operation isn't completed by the end of the day, City Hall will issue a work-from-home notice for all residents, in a bid to prevent major gridlock in the city centre, he said on Sunday.
The quake also disrupted the city's electric rail network. As of Sunday, all of the city's electric train lines were back in operation, except the MRT Pink Line monorail, which remained shut due to damage to the line's power supply.
As of Sunday, City Hall had received over 9,500 reports of building damage via the Traffy Fondue app. BMA is deploying engineers to follow up on the reports, said Mr Chadchart.
