The 33-floor skyscraper shook, and then in a flash it crumbled, its glass facade cascading down into a heap of rubble. Construction workers on the site scurried for safety as a massive dust cloud billowed out. On the street outside, people ran for cover, some jumping into cars and speeding away.
At the construction site, in northern Bangkok, at least eight people were confirmed dead and scores more were missing as of Friday evening, according to Anutin Charnvirakul, a deputy prime minister. They were all presumed to be part of the 320-person crew of workers putting up a new building for the Thai government.
About 70 people were taken to local hospitals. The rescue operation continued into the night as sniffer dogs searched for survivors. But the death toll was expected to rise.
The nearby Chatuchak Park was being kept open through the night for people as a rest area, as were other parks — Benjakitti, Lumphini and Benjasiri. Traffic remained snarled hours after the earthquake hit and many people were unable to get home.
Earlier in the day, throngs of panicked residents ran outside after Bangkok’s skyline swayed. Afterward, in central Bangkok, sidewalks, plazas and sidewalks were packed with crowds of office workers, shopkeepers and tourists who remained outside for fear of aftershocks and structural damage to the buildings.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand declared Bangkok an “area of emergency,” asking residents to evacuate from tall buildings in case of aftershocks.
Other videos showed water sloshing out of the rooftop swimming pool of a high-rise hotel and spilling down the side of the building.
The city’s elevated train, known as the Skytrain, was shut down and traffic on the city’s major arteries came to a virtual standstill as people tried to return home.
Office towers, shopping malls and hotels evacuated their employees and guests while they conducted inspections to determine whether there had been damage before allowing them back inside.
Pam Kershaw and her husband, tourists from Melbourne, Australia, were in their room on the 25th floor of the Athenee Hotel when the earthquake struck. The room began swaying and pictures banged against the walls.
“It was very scary,” she said as she sat outside the hotel with hundreds of others waiting to go back inside.
Sui-Lee Wee contributed reporting from Bangkok.
