‘Car Started Moving On Its Own…’: Witnesses Recount Horror As Deadly Earthquake Crumbles Bangkok Building

Last Updated:March 29, 2025, 17:29 IST

The construction site of the new 30-storey government building collapsed when the quake struck, causing people to scramble to escape, jumping into cars or fleeing on foot in panic.

Rescue personnel work at the site of a building that collapsed, following a strong earthquake, in Bangkok (Reuters)

Anxious loved ones waited outside a shattered mass of metal and concrete in Thailand’s Bangkok on Saturday as rescuers searched for dozens of missing workers after a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake jolted Myanmar on Friday, which claimed over 1,000 lives and left several hundred others injured.

The tremors were felt across the region, including China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India.

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In Thailand, one of the most dramatic scenes unfolded near Bangkok’s Chatuchak market, where a multi-storey construction building crumbled into a cloud of dust. The earthquake, followed by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock, claimed at least 20 lives and trapped dozens of workers under the collapsed building.

Witnesses Recount Horror

The construction site of the new 30-storey government building collapsed when the quake struck, causing people to scramble to escape, jumping into cars or fleeing on foot in panic.

“I was in the shopping mall. I heard that the building has collapsed and it is really very sad. My car started moving on its own due to the earthquake… I immediately went out of the mall and called my home and my wife and son also came out of the house. It was a very strong earthquake…" John Selvam told news agency ANI.

Many witnesses also described the panic that followed the quake. “I was shopping inside a mall when I noticed some signs moving, so I quickly ran outside," said Attapong Sukyimnoi, a broker.

“I knew I had to get to an open space — it was instinct," Sukyimnoi narrated.

Another witness, Fraser Morton, a Scottish tourist, described the chaos inside a Bangkok shopping mall, saying, “I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving… a lot of screaming, a lot of panic."

Another victim, Junpen Kaewnoi, narrated her ordeal. Her mother and sister were working as painters on the site and are now among the missing, she told CNN.

“I kept calling, but it was unsuccessful. All I kept hearing was the continuous toot… toot… of a busy signal," she said.

“I feel like there’s a lump in my stomach, and I have no appetite to eat. I’m worried about my mom and sister still being stuck inside since yesterday. Nowhere to be found."

She said she had spoken to her sister on Friday morning before they left for work.

(With inputs from agencies)

Bangkok, Thailand

News world ‘Car Started Moving On Its Own…’: Witnesses Recount Horror As Deadly Earthquake Crumbles Bangkok Building