The search for survivors trapped in the collapsed State Audit Office building in Bangkok continued on Monday amid reports that life signs were being detected three days after Friday's devastating earthquake.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Monday that infrared sensors had detected the vital signs of at least three people in the rubble of zone A and B on Sunday night.
However, rescuers faced obstacles getting to them because the site was still unsafe. The rescue plan would be adjusted, Mr Chadchart told reporters after inspecting the scene.
“Right now, we’re reaching 72 hours of searching and the operation will continue no matter what the hopes are of finding survivors,” he said.
Light rain on Monday morning helped relieve the wet-season heat. A plan was drawn up to drain water in the area and prevent flooding in the event of heavy rain.
The Chatuchak District Office had been instructed to take legal action against Chinese men seen sneaking into the area and carrying away documents. It was a disaster area and no one was allowed to enter without permission, Mr Chadchart said.
A Chinese company is the lead partner in the building's construction.
The governor said the investigation into the building's collapse was the responsibility of the city's Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning. He confirmed that authorities had already obtained copies of the building blueprints.
Thai and foreign teams were working together at the disaster site. They included a rescue team from Turkey with extensive experience dealing with earthquake damage in their own country and finding missing people alive in the ruins weeks after the event.
Rescuers were making full use of experience, modern technology and sniffer dogs in the search for trapped people, Mr Chadchart said.
A rescue team from Israel also arrived at the disaster site on Monday morning.
Italian-Thai Development Plc, a company in the joint venture ITD-CREC construction project, on Monday expressed condolences to the victims' families.
The company said it had sent a team of engineers to work with government agencies in providing search and rescue assistance.
It would also be part of the compensation and healing process for the victims' families and medical treatment for the injured.
