The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has reported continued progress in search and recovery efforts for the last 13 missing people following the collapse of the recently erected State Audit Office (SAO).
Suriyachai Rawiwan, Director of the BMA's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said on Monday that rescue teams now have access to the entire basement area (40x40 metres).
As of Monday, over 200 sets of human remains had been sent to the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine for DNA analysis, Mr Suriyachai said.
He noted that the remaining debris is mostly in Zone B, where rubble equivalent to a single-storey structure (around three metres high) is still being removed.
This zone was connected to the car park and contained damaged steel pillars, and it requires careful work to prevent further collapse, Mr Suriyachai said. Demolition is ongoing in B2 and B3 areas, with the whole site expected to be cleared in 2–3 days.
BMA's City Planning and Development Director, Thaiwut Khankaew, said that most bodies were discovered near the fire escape, believed to be the final refuge for many during the collapse.
However, he said, all zones are being searched, with the operation expected to continue for another 4-5 days.
According to him, challenges include the complexity of the 30-storey building structure and the lack of prior experience in handling a collapse of this magnitude involving nearly 100 deaths.
"We have been working with great caution to try to help any survivors and bring them out, while also being careful with the bodies of the deceased that are trapped, which makes the operation difficult," Mr Thaiwut said.
Over 70 cranes and diggers have been deployed, and coordination meetings are held twice daily, he said, adding that although the operation has faced many obstacles, the teams remain fully committed to retrieving and identifying every victim.
As of Tuesday, 87 people had been confirmed dead, nine injured, and 13 are still missing from the total of 109 affected.
Final identification will follow the results of forensic analysis from the Police General Hospital to ensure the facts align with official records.
