The pile of rubble was nearly seven stories high. There was a cloud of dust. And there was punishing, 96 degrees Fahrenheit heat.
Rescue workers were desperately scouring for survivors on Saturday at the site of the high-rise building in Bangkok that collapsed after the powerful earthquake in Myanmar. Eight people were confirmed dead at the site but scores more are missing, mostly workers buried as the 33-story structure, which was under construction, caved in on itself near the city’s Chatuchak Park.
The rescue crews used several excavators to dig through the debris, dump trucks to carry it away and sprayed mists of water to improve visibility. Relatives of some of those trapped have looked on, hoping that their loved ones might be pulled out alive.
Earlier in the day there was a flicker of hope. Crews detected signs of life of 15 survivors in multiple locations, Suriyachai Rawiwan, the director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, told reporters. Some were buried under 10 feet of rubble.
But there had been no updates on survivors by 3 p.m. local time, almost 24 hours after the earthquake rocked Bangkok. Those trapped were all presumed to be part of the 320-person crew of workers putting up a new building for the Thai government.
“The building came down so fast,” said Than Htike, 42, adding that he was still in shock. The father of two from Bago in Myanmar said he was on the ground floor and managed to escape, but his wife, who was helping build the elevator shaft on the 6th floor, was still missing.
Mr. Than Htike said he spent all of Friday afternoon and night at the site, hoping for a sign of life from his wife and colleagues who are still trapped under a huge pile of rubble.
“I only want my wife back,” he said, standing alongside a handful of other construction workers from Myanmar.
Like other migrant workers from Myanmar, economic hardship in their home country forced the couple to seek employment in Thailand. They had been working at construction sites in Bangkok for the past three years, earning about 400 Thai bhat, roughly $10, a day.
Natthanan Kaewkaiyasit, 49, was also among those still waiting for news about their loved ones at the site. Her partner, Noy Thicha, a 53-year-old welder, was missing.
“We have to hope for miracles. I will stay here, waiting,” she said.
Aubonrat Setnawet, 44, was at the construction site when the quake hit.
“I felt everything swaying. I thought I was going to faint because everything dizzy,” she said. “Then I heard a kind of cracking sound, then I ran out with the others. I saw the building swayed before it collapsed.”
She had started working at the site earlier this month with her husband, who was missing.
She, too, said that she was hoping for a miracle.