Massive 50-meter sinkhole swallows road in Bangkok

A road collapse in central Bangkok has produced a sinkhole approximately 50 meters deep and covering some 900 square meters, disrupting traffic, damaging infrastructure, and prompting evacuations in the affected area. The incident occurred near Vajira Hospital and extended outward to impact a four-lane road, nearby utilities, and a police station.

So far, no casualties have been confirmed by authorities. Three vehicles sustained damage as the surface caved in, and portions of the road surface collapsed gradually, pulling down utility poles and severing water and power lines. Evacuation orders were issued for nearby buildings, including the local police station. Vajira Hospital suspended outpatient services as a precaution, though its main structure remained intact.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and other officials indicated that ongoing construction of an underground train station may have contributed to soil destabilization.  According to the governor, the sinkhole occurred when upper soil strata began leaking into a shallower tunnel joint, causing subsidence of the road above. He described a cascade process: the collapse of the road dragged down electrical poles, ruptured water pipes, and allowed additional soil to wash into the underground construction void, exacerbating the collapse. The Purple Line subway project in question includes two tunnel bores of differing depths under the site: one at approximately 15 meters below ground and another deeper at about 30 meters. The station site near Vajira Hospital is considered among the more complex segments of the alignment, involving connecting structures and interlinked tunnels.

The primate minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, also pointed to movement of soil from the station construction into the void in the subsurface. The sinkhole reportedly formed in front of the hospital’s façade and extended toward nearby roadways and infrastructure. To prevent further damages and ensure safety, authorities have cut electricity and water supply in the immediate area. Public safety, traffic restoration, and infrastructure repair will be top priorities as engineers work to remediate the site. Authorities have already mobilized teams to assess and stabilize the exposed soil faces and relocate vulnerable infrastructure.