FIVE pedestrians were injured, with three of them rushed to the hospital, after chunks of concrete from a 10-storey building in front of Soi Kasemsan 1, Rama 1 road, suddenly fell to the pavement below, Sanook.com and Amarin TV said this afternoon (Jan. 22).
Firemen from Banthat Thong station and Pathumwan district office quickly rushed to the scene to help injured pedestrians and inspect the damage. Three were taken to Kluaynamthai Hospital for treatment while two others were given first aid at the scene.
Mrs. Sri Muang, a sweeper, said she first heard a loud sound like a bomb going off after which a cloud of concrete dust spread in the area. Looking up she saw that concrete fragments from the high-rise building had come off and plunged to the pavement below. As people had got injured she quickly helped take them to the hospital.
The district Public Works officials said this building is over 30 years old and initial inspection showed the structure had not been affected. However, the exterior of the walls had corroded and they will be completely scraped off to prevent a repeat accident.
A Facebook user by the name that translated to English reads “Hey, this is Thai footpath” posted pictures and details of this accident, which attracted a lot of comments from Thai netizens.
Many questioned the safety of pedestrians in Bangkok while others found fault with the building owner’s maintenance measures with many also criticising district officials for not preventing this sort of accidents.
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Top and below: Chunks of concrete that fell off a building on Rama 1 road today. Photos: Sanook.com
Home Page: An injured woman getting first aid treatment at the scene. Photo: Amarin TV
Also read: 10 passengers injured as two buses collide on Rama 4 road
