BANGKOK — Rescue teams worked through the night under floodlights at the collapsed State Audit Office site, where the death toll rose to 15 after another body was pulled from the wreckage late Monday. With 72 workers still missing, the operation has become a delicate balance of hope and heartbreak as heavy machinery claws through unstable debris.

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The latest victim, too damaged for immediate identification, was sent to the Police General Hospital’s forensic institute.

Two 600-ton cranes lifted concrete slabs in a painstaking process—rescuers can only work in small teams for 20-minute shifts due to the risk of secondary collapses. Sniffer dogs and thermal drones scoured the rubble as relatives kept vigil outside the cordon, some clutching photos of missing loved ones.

🇲🇲🇹🇭 Rescue efforts continue in #Bangkok after Friday’s #earthquake that struck #Thailand and #Myanmar, causing a building to collapse.

🐕🤖 Dogs and robots have taken centre stage, working alongside teams to locate survivors trapped under the rubble pic.twitter.com/be3737RKEo

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) April 2, 2025

“Every slab we move could trigger a chain reaction,” admitted a Thai rescue commander, his uniform caked in dust. The team includes specialists from Japan, Singapore, and China, all battling time as the 72-hour survival window has long passed.

The earthquake’s aftermath has overwhelmed Bangkok’s building inspectors: 15,500 damage reports filed by panicked residents, 400+ buildings assessed—two marked “Red” (immediate danger) and 68 “Yellow” (requires repairs). District teams mobilized for on-site evaluations amid fears of hidden structural damage.

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At the disaster site, the air hangs thick with concrete dust and exhaustion. “We won’t stop,” vowed Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, though no survivors have been found since day one. For families clinging to fading hope, each lifted slab brings dread—not knowing if the next body recovered will be someone they love.

-Thailand News (TN)