PHUKET: At least three people were reported killed and others trapped in the rubble of an office building under construction that collapsed in Thalang district on Thursday afternoon.
The office block, being built for a petrol company, collapsed around 1pm. An excavator was being used to clear away a large slab of concrete and twisted steel bars so rescuers could get to workers trapped beneath it.
The new building, owned by Sai Si Nam-ngern Co, is located near a HomePro hardware store.
Deputy Phuket governor Wongsakorn Noonchukhan said the cement floor on the second storey of the office block fell onto the ground at around 12.50pm. The cause of the collapse was not yet clear, he added.
Sompong Pinpakdee, director of the Phuket disaster prevention and mitigation office, said three workers — two Thais and a Myanmar man — were killed. They were Jeerachai Wonghasak, 35, Pornpimol Waewong, 21, and an unidentified Myanmar man.
Two other workers were injured and sent to Thalang Hospital. They were Myo Myo Yi, 26, a Myanmar woman, and Jaturawit Muadsing, 34,a Thai national.
The number of workers who went missing was not yet known, said Mr Sompong. He added only three of them — all Myanmar nationals — were identified.
Pol Col Theerawat Liamsuwan, chief of Thalang police, said investigators would call a contractor and and an engineer responsible for construction for questioning.
The Phuket People's Voice Facebook page initially reported that three people were confirmed to have died and five others were injured.
Phuket People's Voice Facebook page reported three people were killed and five others injured when an office building for a petrol station under construction in Thalang district, Phuket collapsed on Thursday afternoon.