Bangkok: Officials continue to search and recover bodies of deceased persons under the rubble of the Office of the Auditor General building. Throughout the day and night, officials have been diligently working to find and remove bodies of people trapped under the debris of the State Audit Office building. On April 21, 281 trips were made to remove pieces of cement and scrap metal, marking an increase in efforts.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Suriyachai Rawiwan, Director of the Bangkok Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (DDPM), provided updates on the search for missing persons under the collapsed building. On April 20, four complete bodies were discovered in Zone C1 at a depth of 2-3 meters. These bodies were identified as belonging to individuals who were working on the 19th floor of the building. Additionally, six more body parts were found, bringing the total to 207 body parts sent to the forensic department for identification.

Efforts to remove cement and scrap metal from the wreckage have intensified. On April 20, 242 trips were made, and this increased to 281 trips on April 21, in line with the State Railway of Thailand’s expansion of the evidence storage area for the wreckage. The height of the debris in Zones A and D has been reduced from 11.51 meters to 10.52 meters, and in Zones B and C from 9.81 meters to 9.36 meters. Three gas-cutting teams from the Army and three from the Navy are working in shifts to support the efforts.

A significant challenge faced by the rescue teams is the fatigue of machinery due to heavy and continuous use. There have been 12 instances of heavy machinery requiring repairs, which are being addressed promptly to maintain progress according to the plan. The current objective is to open up Zone B to reach Zone C while reducing the height of the wreckage in Zones A and D. The goal is to lower the debris by 1 meter per day, aiming to access the first floor by the end of April.

Subsequent plans involve adjusting work strategies to reach the basement level, where operations cannot proceed in the usual manner due to the density of the building parts. Preparation and assessment of the operations have been conducted to address these challenges. As of 6:00 PM on April 21, there have been 103 victims, with 51 confirmed dead, 9 injured, and 43 still trapped.