The Interior Ministry will begin distributing compensation of 100,000 baht per victim to families affected by the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building. The first round of disbursements is on Friday.
As of Tuesday, the official death toll had risen to 44, with nine injured and 50 people still missing from a total of 103 individuals reported at the scene.
Efforts to locate missing persons under the rubble continue, with authorities focusing on Zone C, where most victims were believed to be trapped.
Deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej and Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Tuesday offered an update on search and recovery operations.
Intensive work on Monday night led to the discovery of two more bodies and 24 body parts, which have been sent for forensic identification, they said.
One additional victim was confirmed Tuesday morning through DNA matching, raising the confirmed death count to 44.
DNA samples from 91 relatives have been collected for identification purposes, the authorities said.
Efforts are underway, with assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to reach out to embassies and border checkpoints, particularly for information about missing individuals from Myanmar.
Regarding the on-site operation, heavy machinery has been deployed across all four zones of the collapse site to remove concrete and cut through twisted metal. Due to the large volume of steel, gas cutters and specialised tools have been brought in to assist.
The drilling operation is halted every now and then to allow officials to enter and inspect various points along with their K9 units. Search rounds by K9 dogs are conducted three times daily.
Regarding the latest relief measures, Ms Tavida said the Ministry of Interior has approved compensation of 100,000 baht per case, without requiring details on whether the deceased was the head of the household.
As of Tuesday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported a total of 23,888 residents filing for earthquake-related assistance, with the highest number of requests coming from Chatuchak District (3,205 people), followed by Huai Khwang, Bang Sue, Phasi Charoen, and Thon Buri districts.
Under the BMA's disaster relief regulations, district offices began holding site inspections for damaged buildings on April 10.
However, many property owners were not at home during visits. Officials have advised residents returning from the Songkran holidays to contact their local district offices for further assessment.
Affected individuals have 30 days from the incident -- until April 27 -- to submit claims for assistance. All 50 district offices are accepting applications during official hours. District-level committees will evaluate the damage and coordinate with BMA's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department for further assistance.
