Latest news with #DepartmentofDisasterPreventionandMitigation
Time Out
07-05-2025
- Time Out
Emergency broadcasts scheduled today and May 13
In response to the limited warnings following the recent earthquake that damaged homes and caused a building to collapse, the Thai government has developed a nationwide phone broadcast alert system that will send critical warning messages directly to mobile phones nationwide. To test the system, and to inform the public of the system's existence, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) will test these alarm systems on May 7 and May 13, covering various geographical areas each time. When tested, your phone will emit an attention-grabbing alert sound along with a bilingual emergency notification on screen that reads: 'This is a test message from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). No action required.' Alerts on May 7 will be broadcast at 1pm in the following areas: Alerts on May 13 will be broadcast at 1pm in the following areas:
The Star
29-04-2025
- The Star
Bangkok building collapse: Body, human remains recovered
Rescue workers removing debris at the site of a building in Bangkok that collapsed during a massive quake on March 28, 2025. - Photo: EPA-EFE BANGKOK: A body and seven sets of human remains have been recovered from the rubble of a 30-storey government building that collapsed during a massive earthquake in March. The under-construction State Audit Office building was reduced to an immense pile of rubble when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck neighbouring Myanmar on March 28, killing at least 44 people at the construction site. Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said on Tuesday (April 29) that the body and remains were found during a demolition operation on Monday (April 28). 'Among the findings were one intact body and two other major cases, along with smaller fragments accounting for around five separate cases,' he added. He said the demolition in zones A and D has reached the first floor, with some sections extending down to the basement. For zones B and C, which are adjacent to the carpark, machinery has been deployed to remove metal debris and clear a path to areas where more victims are believed to be trapped. 'One month has passed, and our personnel remain fully committed to the task,' said Suriyachai. One of the main challenges is dismantling zone D2, which adjoins zone C. Officials discovered large, mostly intact concrete slabs stacked approximately four to five layers deep, resembling a stack of pancakes. Suriyachai said this section must be addressed first, as the concrete slabs are obstructing the fire escape stairwell. Officials plan to use two heavy-duty demolition machines equipped with impact hammers, along with a backhoe, to break through the debris. 'If we can clear this area during the day, we'll be able to access more of the stairwell at night, which is expected to lead to the discovery of more victims in both zones B and C,' said Suriyachai. The Royal Thai Police's Central Institute of Forensic Science on April 17 announced that 33 victims had been positively identified. Of these, 22 were Thai nationals, 10 were from Myanmar, and one was Cambodian. - The Nation/ANN
Straits Times
29-04-2025
- Straits Times
Bangkok building collapse: Body, human remains recovered from quake-felled high-rise
Rescue workers remove debris at the site of a building in Bangkok that collapsed during a massive quake on March 28. PHOTO: EPA-EFE BANGKOK – A body and seven sets of human remains have been recovered from the rubble of a 30-storey government building that collapsed during a massive earthquake in March. The under-construction State Audit Office building was reduced to an immense pile of rubble when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck neighbouring Myanmar on March 28, killing at least 44 people at the construction site. Mr Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said on April 29 that the body and remains were found during a demolition operation carried out on April 28. 'Among the findings was one intact body and two other major cases, along with smaller fragments accounting for around five separate cases,' he said. Mr Suriyachai said the demolition in Zones A and D has now reached the first floor, with some sections extending down to the basement level. For Zones B and C, which are adjacent to the car park, machinery has been deployed to remove metal debris and clear a path to areas where more victims are believed to be trapped. 'One month has passed, and our personnel remain fully committed to the task,' said Mr Suriyachi. 'The families of the victims continue to be a source of strength and encouragement, driving us to push forward each day to complete the work as quickly as possible and return the victims to their loved ones,' he said. One of the main challenges is dismantling Zone D2, which adjoins Zone C. Officials discovered large, mostly intact concrete slabs stacked approximately four to five layers deep, resembling a stack of pancakes. Mr Suriyachai said this section must be addressed first, as the concrete slabs are obstructing the fire escape stairwell. Officials plan to use two heavy-duty demolition machines equipped with impact hammers, along with a backhoe, to break through the debris. 'If we can clear this area during the day, we'll be able to access more of the stairwell at night, which is expected to lead to the discovery of more victims in both Zones B and C,' said Mr Suriyachi. The Royal Thai Police's Central Institute of Forensic Science on April 17 announced that 33 victims in the collapse of the State Auditor Office building had been positively identified. Of these, 22 were Thai nationals, 10 were from Myanmar, and one was Cambodian. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Al Jazeera
28-04-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Will Bangkok fall out of love with skyscrapers after earthquake rocks city?
Bangkok, Thailand – In the teeming metropolis that is central Bangkok, Methinee Phoovatis monitored a small computer screen, hoping to find signs of survivors. Surrounding Methinee, other members of Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) coordinated the dozens of rescue workers shuttling along a path that led to an enormous mound of debris. The rescue teams worked in shifts, searching for any indications of life under the hill of cement and steel that loomed over them. 'We are just hoping for a miracle that some of the people are still alive,' Methinee, a plan and policy analyst in the DDPM, told Al Jazeera. It was four days after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake jolted Bangkok on March 28, and as the hours and days passed, the chances of Methinee and her colleagues finding survivors were increasingly slim. 'We are trying our best for the people. Hopefully, they are still alive,' she said, standing next to a whiteboard showing the tally of 73 people that were still missing under the rubble of the unfinished 30-storey building, which was designed to house Thailand's National Audit Office. The earthquake that rocked the Thai capital was particularly shallow, just 10km (6.2 miles) deep, which intensified the shock waves on the earth's surface. Though situated more than 1,200km (750 miles) from the epicentre in Myanmar where thousands died, the earthquake brought Bangkok to a standstill. Panicked residents of this city of more than 11 million people rushed out into the streets in search of safety as buildings swayed and shuddered. A month on, life in the Thai capital has returned to normal. But the dozens of deaths – most of which were at the site of the collapsed audit office building – and the shock of the events of March 28 have prompted concerns for some in Bangkok about the safety of high-rise living in the world's 12th tallest city. A sudden feeling of nausea and the swaying of lamps inside his apartment on the ninth floor of a 41-storey building told Harry Yang he was in danger. 'I ran out onto my balcony and everything was shaking,' said the 29-year-old, who has called Bangkok his home since birth. 'People were screaming,' he said. Dashing down the fire escape stairs, Yang immediately thought of his ageing father who lives on the 32nd floor in another high-rise building in Bangkok and who has issues with mobility. Although his father, who works as an antique dealer, made it out of the ordeal unscathed, the quake destroyed many of his antiques and left him terrified. 'My dad is 68 years old, he has leg problems, and he needed to climb down' stairs to reach the ground floor, Yang said. People had good reason to be scared. Video clips on social media showed Bangkok shaking, with debris falling to the ground and water pouring in torrents from skyscraper infinity swimming pools. Lapaphutch Lertsachanant was in her condominium on the 27th floor when the quake struck. 'The building was literally moving side to side. I really felt at that moment that the building could be cut in half,' Lapaphutch said. 'I really thought that I wouldn't survive,' she added, recalling her desire to speak to her partner one final time by phone. 'I thought I could have my last words with him. He would be with me in my last moments alive.' Although seismic events in the wider Southeast Asia region are common, the scale of the quake that hit Myanmar – where more than 3,700 people were killed – and shook Bangkok took many by surprise. Wang Yu, associate professor in the department of geosciences at the National Taiwan University, said Myanmar lies directly on a tectonic fault line, the Sagaing Fault, and the March 28 quake occurred after a strike-slip fault between the India and Eurasian plates. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a strike-slip refers to a tectonic fault where two plates move horizontally past each other. Since 1900, the USGS reports that six other large earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or more have occurred within 250km (155 miles) of the epicentre in Myanmar of the March 28 quake. Bangkok is built on a basin of unstable soil that can increase the effect of these quakes, Wang Yu explained. 'When a seismic wave transmits from the outside into the basin, the amplitude of the seismic wave will be enlarged,' he said. But the precise reason why the building in central Bangkok collapsed remains under investigation. No other building in Bangkok suffered such a catastrophic failure, although many sustained structural damage. Officials in Thailand have launched an investigation to assess whether proper building protocols were followed. Thailand first introduced seismic regulations on buildings in 1997. In 2007, new legislation specified that buildings higher than 15 metres (49ft) in high-risk areas like Bangkok must be built to withstand quakes of up to magnitude 7.0. Two years later, in 2009, the Thai Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning introduced a comprehensive 'Standard for Earthquake Resistant Design of Buildings'. Given these building and engineering regulations, questions have been raised over how the almost-constructed building in Bangkok could collapse. 'I think we need to find the root cause so at least we can learn some lessons and improve building regulations,' Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said shortly after the quake, as local authorities fanned out across Thailand to test buildings and assess whether they were still structurally sound. So far, the majority have been deemed to meet safety standards. On April 3, just six days after the earthquake, Bangkok's Metropolitan Authority declared an end to the 'disaster situation' in Bangkok, except for the building collapse site. Now a month on from the disaster, some residents are still concerned as superficial cracks and other damage to their high-rise residences have contributed to lingering feelings of insecurity. Despite engineers declaring that his apartment was safe to live in, 32-year-old Varuth Pongsapipatt found the series of cracks running up the walls of his apartment a little unsettling, but he was dealing with it. 'It's quite scary, but it has no effect on the structure of the building, so it's OK,' he told Al Jazeera. With the lift in her condominium out of commission after the quake, Lapaphutch said she was forced to move into her parents' home for almost three weeks, and she was not in a rush to return to her 27th-floor place. 'I don't feel I'm safe going back to living in a tall building,' she said. Harry Yang said his father had refused to return to his 32-floor home, worried that aftershocks may occur. 'My parents are really concerned. My dad has been staying in a hotel since the earthquake happened,' Yang told Al Jazeera earlier this month. Research by Thailand's National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) after the earthquake found that some 68 percent of respondents were concerned about the stability and safety of buildings. For some, the effect on the property market was a worry, too. 'I'm more concerned about property prices,' Yang said. 'I think this will have a big impact on the property market and consumer confidence. A lot of people are trying to find a way to move out,' he said. Following the quake, Thai financial analysts predicted that condominium sales could be hit with potential buyers thinking twice before purchasing a high-rise building in Bangkok, placing further pressure on the country's property sector. 'The March 28 earthquake is expected to create a windfall for low-rise houses, which are perceived as less vulnerable to seismic events. This trend will mirror the shift seen in 2011 when nationwide flooding led homebuyers to favour condos over low-rise houses,' the Bangkok Post newspaper reported earlier this month. The quake also exposed serious shortcomings in Thailand's emergency alert system. Although an earthquake warning system was supposed to keep the Thai public updated with information, warning messages could only be sent out in batches of 200,000 at a time, creating a bottleneck that slowed down communications in a country of almost 72 million. Harry Yang said neither he nor his parents received any emergency response messaging. They were forced to search online for information after the quake hit. Weeks on from the quake, Bangkok resident Lapaphutch also said she had never received any emergency information. 'We really need this kind of system that can alert us,' she said. 'Everyone in Thailand should be reviewing these kinds of notifications to make us well prepared.' The survey by NIDA showed that almost 60 percent of those polled were concerned about the effectiveness of the early warning systems. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has since called for upgrades to the system to increase the broadcast capacity of the alert batches to 1 million at a time, according to local reports. Despite the challenges, Thailand emerged from the tremor relatively unscathed. Just metres from the site of the collapsed 30-storey building, Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market was already bustling with tourists just days after the quake, and the events seemed almost like a distant memory in a city that never really sleeps. Harry Yang agreed. Bangkok residents had initially felt scared, but that would pass, he said. 'Eventually it's going to come back to normal.'
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Thailand, criticised over Bangkok building collapse, to test mobile alerts
Thailand will conduct tests of a cellphone disaster alert system, senior officials said on Wednesday, after criticism that no alarm was sent after last month's deadly Myanmar earthquake caused damage in Bangkok. Advertisement Director General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phasakorn Boonyalak said the Cell Broadcast System (CBS) will undergo a test run next month in localised areas including the sprawling capital, which was badly shaken by the 7.7-magnitude quake in neighbouring Myanmar. The system will use three mobile networks to send warning messages 'quickly and with wide coverage, both on natural disaster and security threats', he told a news conference. Starting on May 2 with the smallest target area – four city hall buildings – there will be three test runs, with the third and largest drill covering the whole of Bangkok and Chiang Mai provinces on May 13. 02:26 Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings sway and fall in Bangkok Powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Myanmar, buildings sway and fall in Bangkok Residents' cellphones will get a pop-up message on their screens in Thai and English, accompanied by a siren, Phasakorn said.
