• Source:JND
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A giant sinkhole erupted on a Bangkok street on Wednesday morning, swallowing vehicles and damaging power poles but, incredibly, causing no deaths. Bangkok Governor ChadchartSittipunt told the Associated Press that three vehicles were damaged and blamed the collapse on the construction of an underground train station. 

Video of the incident soon spread on social media. The video captured how the road gradually sank before dropping several cars, electric poles, and water pipes into the giant hole. The collapse destroyed the four-lane road fully and revealed the underground infrastructure under a neighboring police station.

How The Sinkhole Formed

A sinkhole is an instantaneous depression in the ground resulting from the collapse of the surface layer into a subsurface void. This may be due to natural geological movements or human action leading to the removal of support from under the surface. In our situation, authorities explained that topsoil over the subway tunnel excavation poured into the subsurface opening and caused the collapse. The rupture of water pipes also destroyed more soil, making things worse.

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Governor Sittipunt explained, “Soil above began flowing into the tunnel and the underground construction spaces. This caused the road surface to collapse, dragging down electrical poles and rupturing water pipes. We’re monitoring the damage and rushing to backfill the gap. The situation has somewhat stabilised, though sliding may continue slightly.”

Impact On Residents And Infrastructure

Residents nearby were evacuated, and the authorities cordoned off a 100-meter radius from the area. There were no reports of injuries, although the dramatic scene made headlines. The sinkhole disrupted traffic and utility services tremendously, and it brought attention to the risks of urban development in populated areas. 

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Anutin, an engineer by background, stressed that the crisis was not a threat to lives. "There's certainly been a mistake made, but this is all about engineering, and we have to know the reason. There's no hazard to people's lives; that's under control," he stated. 

Sinkholes are rare in Thailand because of the geology of the city and its urban planning. In an earlier quake this year, a building under construction collapsed and killed dozens of migrant laborers. 

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