- By Ajeet Kumar
- Sun, 30 Mar 2025 08:24 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bangkok earthquake: A Thai woman gave birth to a baby girl on a rolling bed in a hospital as it was being evacuated In the chaos of Friday's earthquake. The powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake centred in Myanmar on Friday rattled buildings as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, leading to patients being evacuated to the ground floor and outside buildings for safety.
Kanthong Saenmuangshin, 36, had gone to a hospital for a routine check-up but went into labour after the ground started shaking. Kanthong's waters broke while she was being escorted by medical staff of the Police General Hospital down five flights of stairs, and she was worried she would give birth on the stairway.
"It was all a shock to me too"
"I was telling my baby, don't come out yet," Kanthong said on Saturday. "Then I was put on a hospital bed and was surrounded by a lot of medical staff where I just gave birth right then and there. It was all a shock to me too," she told news agency Reuters. At that time, her husband was at work and could not make it to the hospital in time for the birth.
Relief came when her daughter was finally born. The ground had stopped shaking and the sight of her brought Kanthong happiness. She and her husband have given their baby a nickname, "Mink". They have not yet decided on her full official name but do not plan to give her any names related to the earthquake.
Earthquake leaves 10 dead, 101 missing in Bangkok
Ten people were dead, 16 were injured, and 101 others remained missing in the capital, Bangkok, Thai authorities said on Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, sending strong tremors across Thailand. According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), emergency disaster areas have been declared in Bangkok and two other provinces, with authorities conducting structural safety assessments and damage surveys across the affected regions.
Phasakorn Boonyalak, director general of the DDPM, said 14 provinces have reported damage following the earthquake that rocked central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, reports Xinhua news agency. Tremors were felt in 57 provinces, particularly in Bangkok, prompting mass evacuations from office buildings, residential complexes, and convention centres as people gathered on the streets and in parks as temporary shelters. The earthquake disrupted multiple subway and Skytrain services in Bangkok, bringing traffic to a standstill. Most train services resumed normal operations by Saturday morning.