The Royal Thai Police's Disaster Victim Identification Centre says 33 individuals have been identified following the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building in the recent earthquake.
Pol Maj Gen Wathee Assawutmangkul, the Office of Police Forensic Science spokesman, said the aim is to confirm the identities of bodies found in the ruins and return their remains to families for religious rites.
The centre has collected data on missing persons and DNA samples from 97 relatives, to match against the remains delivered to the Office of Police Forensic Science. The verification process includes fingerprint analysis, dental records, DNA, and physical characteristics, he said.
Between March 29 and Thursday, 41 bodies and 96 body parts were submitted for forensic processing.
So far, 42 cases have entered the identification system, resulting in 33 confirmed identifications -- 22 Thai nationals, 10 Myanmar nationals, and one Cambodian. Families have been notified, and arrangements for the release of the remains are underway.
The forensic process includes matching fingerprints and reassembling body parts using DNA. Bone samples are being used for DNA extraction, which may require an additional 1–2 days for analysis and comparison with family records, he said. "During the early days, fingerprint verification allowed the same-day release of bodies. However, due to decomposition and the increasing number of fragmented remains, all parts must now be reconstructed before release," he said.
For some undocumented migrant workers, authorities are coordinating with the Myanmar Embassy to collect DNA samples in Myanmar for further testing.
In some cases, families are waiting to collect their loved ones together with others still trapped in the rubble.
On Thursday, two families came to collect remains. One was Ms Boonsong Muansuk, 73, mother of Wittaya Sitsri, 36.
She said her son had been working in Bangkok for many years, while she remained in Si Sa Ket province. They last saw each other during the New Year celebrations in early 2024.
She said her son had been working at the collapsed office for a month. Initially, her family withheld the news from her, and she only found out through neighbours. She said she hadn't eaten or slept, anxiously waiting for news. On Monday -- her son's birthday -- she received a call from officials confirming his body had been found in the rubble.
She would take her son's body for funeral rites at Wat Phothinimit in Thon Buri district, before returning his ashes to their hometown in the northeastern province.
On the mission
Ekwaranyu Amrapal, spokesman of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said that since Wednesday, the primary focus of the recused operation has been to reduce the height of the collapsed building's debris.
"The debris height has come down from over 26 metres to 12.45 metres [as of Friday morning]. The strategy has been adjusted to deploy volunteer teams, military personnel, and BMA staff to expedite the cutting of steel structures using gas torches, allowing for simultaneous operations at multiple points.
"Additionally, the number of trucks transporting debris has been increased from 14 to 22 since Thursday, enabling over 170 trips a day, compared to the usual 100 trips per day in the past. On Thursday, we made up to 300 trips to move debris," he said.
Areas would be prepared for storing the debris, he said.
Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said initial delays were caused by the steel framework of the building, but progress has improved with the current method of using gas torches at multiple points.
"The current challenge is rapidly clearing the steel and concrete debris to make room for additional rubble from ongoing operations. Overall, the operation is progressing as planned, with the goal of completion by the end of this month," he said.
As of Friday, the rescue mission had found 44 dead bodies and nine injured, with 50 people unaccounted for.
The BMA's Health Department has deployed personnel from the Public Health Disease Control Office, Environmental Health Office, and Chatuchak District Office to the site to monitor environmental quality and public health, he said.
The Public Health Disease Control Office has applied sodium hypochlorite to areas with stagnant water to treat it before it drains into public areas.
They have also sprayed insecticides to eliminate flies and mosquitoes and added larvicide to prevent mosquito breeding. These measures will continue every Wednesday and Saturday until May, he said.
The Environmental Health Office is monitoring and testing the soil and collecting surface water samples around the collapsed building.
They will coordinate with the Pollution Control Department to test for heavy metal contamination in wastewater and with the Drainage and Sewerage Department to collect wastewater samples for microbiological analysis.
Ongoing investigation
Police have questioned 117 individuals in the ongoing investigation into the collapse site of SAO, said Pol Maj Gen Noppasin Poonsawat, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB).
Those questioned include injured survivors, eyewitnesses, relatives of the deceased, SAO officials, and representatives from firms involved in design, construction, and project supervision.
Forensic teams of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) have collected 193 steel bars and 36 concrete samples from the site for analysis, with results pending.
Summonses have been issued to parties responsible for the building's design, construction, and supervision of the project, as well as those who signed off on the design documents. Three designers have already testified, with two more expected, he said.
Patiwat Sirithai, major shareholder of PN Synchroline Company, a member of the PKW joint venture contracted by the SAO for construction supervision, is scheduled for questioning on April 21.
Investigators are working closely with forensic and engineering experts to determine the collapse's cause, said Pol Maj Gen Noppasin.
