3 dead, 17 injured in Thai building collapse–police

BANGKOK– At least three workers died and 17 others were injured when a six-story building under construction collapsed just outside Bangkok, police said Monday, as rescuers searched for an unknown number of missing people.

The planned student accommodation block crashed down at around 4.30 p.m. (0930 GMT) in Pathum Thani province, north of the capital, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.


“Three construction workers were found dead and 17 injured were rescued,” said the officer.

Rescue workers and police were using cranes to search for any people trapped inside the debris late Monday.

“We can’t say how many are trapped inside but we are working hard to rescue them,” the officer said, adding that police would launch an investigation into why the building collapsed.

Labor groups have warned about lax safety standards and low wages at Thai construction sites, especially for migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, who are often paid below the country’s minimum daily wage.

The nation has seen a building boom in recent years as the property market has soared.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Old bomb explodes in Bangkok scrap shop, killing 7

BANGKOK, Thailand—Police say workers at a scrap shop in Thailand’s capital accidentally detonated a large bomb believed to have been dropped during World War II, killing at least seven people and injuring 19 others.

Police bomb squad chief Kamthorn Auicharoen says construction workers found the bomb buried at a building site and sold it to the scrap shop in northern Bangkok.

He said workers at the shop were using a blowtorch to take the bomb apart when it exploded Wednesday.

The massive blast ripped apart the scrap shop in Bangkok’s Lad Plakao neighborhood and damaged nearby houses.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net