Spanish
Bangkok.- Authorities in Thailand confirmed this Saturday the end of the search operation for victims among the rubble of the collapsed building in Bangkok after the earthquake at the end of March, with its epicenter in neighboring Burma.
The official data after the conclusion of the mission indicates that 89 people were found dead, while another 7 remain missing.
In a press conference, Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Bangkok Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, pointed out today that the search teams completed the registration of all areas of the construction site of more than 30 floors that collapsed in the north of the capital, located near the tourist Chatuchak market.
The person in charge indicated that they have found a hundred bones and other mortal remains which, after analysis by the forensic police, will try to determine if they belong to the people whose whereabouts are unknown.
Rescuers accessed on Friday the last area they had not been able to access, an elevator shaft in the basement level, where no more bodies were found.
The removal of debris, however, will continue for a few days, during which officials and trained dogs will try to detect mortal remains that may have gone unnoticed.
Most of the identified deceased are Thai construction workers, but among the deaths are also fatalities from neighboring countries such as Burma, Cambodia and Laos. Although there are still more than a dozen dead to be identified.
The building, which was to be the headquarters of the Auditor General of Thailand and the only one that collapsed in Thailand due to the earthquake, collapsed as a result of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake recorded on March 28 in the north-central region of Burma, more than 1,300 kilometers away from Bangkok.
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Thai authorities have opened several investigations to determine the reason for the collapse, including inquiries into the quality of the material used in the construction and the design of the building, erected by a joint venture created by a well-known Thai construction company and a Chinese state-owned construction company.
In mid-April, the police arrested a Chinese citizen, a director of the construction company China Railway, and 3 other Thais, considered suspects of violating the foreign investment law in order to operate in the country.
In addition to the collapse of this building, five other people lost their lives in Bangkok due to various accidents linked to the impact of the earthquake, which also left more than 3,700 dead in Burma.
