Bangkok was thrown into disarray early Wednesday morning when a huge tunnel collapse created a gaping hole over 60 feet deep right in the middle of a city road.
The dramatic incident occurred around 7 a.m. local time, just before the bustling morning rush hour. Fortunately, two vehicles parked on the street plummeted into the enormous cavity, but no one was injured as the cars were empty. A spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration confirmed the sinkhole measured nearly 100 feet across.
Initial investigations by Governor Chadchart Sittipunt indicated that the collapse stemmed from a water leak caused by a burst pipe within an unfinished extension of the city’s vital subway system. Following the disaster, city officials swiftly cut off the local water supply and initiated inspections of nearby structures. A police station located precariously close to the edge of the chasm was evacuated as a precaution, Governor Chadchart reported.
Reassuringly, a hospital situated directly across from the evacuated police station remained secure, thanks to its robust underground structural defenses, according to the Governor.
The compromised tunnel was part of an ongoing project to expand Bangkok Mass Rapid Transit’s Purple Line. This crucial extension aims to link the city’s western suburbs with the historic Dusit district, an area renowned for its royal palaces, ancient Buddhist temples, and charming old shop houses, attracting numerous tourists. Notably, the sinkhole materialized less than two miles from Dusit Palace, the residence of the Thai royal family.
Upon its eventual completion, the Purple Line is set to traverse directly beneath Thailand’s Parliament complex and the National Library, highlighting the significance of its construction.
Neither the Bangkok Expressway and Metro, the company responsible for the subway extension, nor the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, offered immediate comments regarding the collapse.
However, officials from the Mass Rapid Transit Authority did convene with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Governor Chadchart on Wednesday morning to address the urgent situation, as confirmed by the governor’s office.