Thailand. Strong earthquake. “Many of my colleagues were killed under the debris of a skyscraper”

In Bangkok, the number of fatal victims of the earthquakes increased to nine – the deputy of the city of the city of Tavid Kamolva said on Friday. Eight people were killed as a result of the collapse of the 33-story skyscraper. The search and rescue operation is underway at the scene.

Firefighters, policemen and rescuers with tracking dogs are looking for over 100 missing people – Reuters said on Saturday.

The epicenter of shocks with a magnitude 7.7 was in Central Burma, about 50 kilometers east of the city of Monywa. The shock took place around 14.20 local time. In Thailand, the shock force was estimated at 7.3.

You can read about the situation in Burma here: Over a thousand people were killed. A tragic balance is growing

A resident of Bangkok – Waanpetch Panta – is waiting for information about her 18 -year -old daughter. She is one of the 101 missing people. A woman from Saturday morning observes how the excavators search the rubble.

– Everything I can do is sit and wait. I prayed that my daughter was among those who were already taken to the hospital – said Waanpetch. She added that she for the last time she talked to her daughter on Friday around noon, just before the earthquake.

A construction worker of Tun Lin Aung, who is also waiting for news about his missing colleagues, worked at the construction site when the earth shook. – Various items fell from high floors. We were terrified, we ran away – said Tun Lin Aung, a Burma citizen who has lived in Thailand for nine years. “Many of my colleagues were killed under the debris of the skyscraper,” he added.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Phumtham Wechayachai said that there was no such earthquake in Bangkok for 100 years. He also informed that in the capital in two districts – Chatuchak and Bang Khun Thian – the buildings collapsed. Firefighters, policemen, as well as drones and trained dogs take part in the search campaign.

Tomasz Augustyniak, a correspondent in the Asia and Pacific region, commented on the collapse of the skyscraper and the situation in Bangkok on Friday.

“This building that has collapsed in Bangkok is probably the biggest destruction that has been reported so far,” said Augustyniak. “It's not like buildings are pounding here,” he added. He said that life in Bangkok is slowly returning to normal as possible. – The inhabitants of Bangkok do not remember such large shocks – he admitted. He added that the destruction in the city was pointy.

The earthquake was so strong that during shocks the water poured from the pools located on the roofs of skyscrapers.