An American deep scan shows 50-60 people possibly trapped in a hallway between floors 17-21 of the collapsed Chatuchak building. Rescuers face challenges due to debris and unstable rubble, but efforts continue, with the status of survivors still uncertain.
A deep scan by a US team at the collapsed Auditor General building in Chatuchak has given hope to Thailand on Tuesday. At length, it appears to show between 50-60 human beings in a hallway between the 17th and 21st floors of the building. Certain senior officials, such as Bangkok’s Assistant Governor Thawida Kamolvech, are insisting at this time that there is no way to tell if the people are alive or dead. Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, Thai actor and national hero Bin Bin Banleurit spoke of a determined push to rescue those trapped. In short, he said specialised lifting equipment was urgently required to remove overhead debris. Meanwhile, rescuers were limited as the walls where they were working were up to 1 metre deep and could not be drilled through.
Thai officials and rescuers at the collapsed Auditor General building held a 10-hour meeting on Monday night. The meeting occurred as workers continued to toil in shifts. On Tuesday, there was renewed hope and conflicting emotions as rescuers carried on using powerful equipment to find their way through the wreckage.
It comes as an advanced scan executed by American personnel appears to show somewhere between 50-60 people in a hallway within the structure.
Officials stress it’s too early to speculate on whether the people detected by the U.S. scan are alive or dead
Certainly, it is too early to speculate on whether the human beings are alive. At the same time, Bangkok Assistant Governor Associate Professor Thawida Kamolvech has told reporters that six areas have been identified. Presently, they could not determine if the humans detected were living or dead.
“The characteristics of all six points found are in a grouping. After that, some building parts will need to be moved out, which requires special tools. At this time, it is still not possible to confirm whether the figures found in the scan are still breathing or not. Basically, the scanner can only detect the figures.”
Nevertheless, Professor Thawida said the operations will continue assuming that there are people alive within the structure.
Scan reveals possible survivors near elevator shaft as rescuers navigate debris in collapsed structure
Reporters on Monday spoke to Mr. Bin Banleurit of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation. Mr. Bin, a former contractor and rescue volunteer, is acknowledged as a public hero in Thailand, particularly in times of crisis.
In particular, he laid emphasis on the fact that the scans did not appear to show dead bodies. Mr. Bin said the detected human beings appeared to be near an elevator shaft.
At length, this is believed to be between floors 17-21 in the building. That is where many of the workers were located when the structure collapsed last Friday.
The deep-penetration scanner used by American rescue personnel showed the figures clustered in that one area.
Bin said that the priority presently was the rescue of these people. Therefore, efforts will be made to remove the top debris. This would require powerful machinery.
The problem for the rescue operations is that some of this machinery cannot be used. This is a potential danger issue to people trapped underneath.
Consequently, rescuers are cautiously using their own power tools.
At the same time, the walls in the collapsed structure were difficult to drill through. For example, in many cases, they were a metre in depth.
At this time, the rescue operation is waiting on powerful machinery to help remove the debris at the top. Mr. Bin pointed out that the rescue operation has faced significant limitations. Basically, any plan of the building has been distorted or even obliterated following the collapse.
Thai and foreign rescuers collaborate but face obstacles due to unstable structure and thick concrete walls
The Thai folk hero spoke of his team working well with foreign volunteers, including the Americans.
However, he pointed out that the Americans had more modern equipment. At the same time, the foreign volunteers had more experience working in such disasters.
Meanwhile, Assistant Governor Thawida points out that the site is still a disaster zone with local direction. Later on Tuesday, Governor Chadchart Sittipunt was expected to be at the site as efforts are ramped up to locate the trapped people seen in the scan.
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At this time, rescuers are mindful that the 72-hour window has elapsed. Therefore, they are likely to take more risks. Undoubtedly, the scan from the American crew had prompted a rush of hope.
Certainly, that could easily be dashed. At length, on Tuesday, five further bodies were also discovered but have not been removed yet. Presently, the death toll is 13, with nine survivors and 74 people thought to be still missing.
The five bodies were found in quadrant Zones B and C. Of the 13 deceased so far, eight are male while five are female.
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