A convoy of cement trucks took turns throughout Thursday night to pour about 750 cubic metres of concrete into the huge sinkhole in Samsen Road, to close the gap between two underground train tunnels at the unfinished Vajira Hospital train station.
Kitti Ekwallop, deputy governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) said that the next step is to pour crushed stone and earth over the concrete floor of the sinkhole, after it has hardened, adding that he expects the work to be completed within two weeks.
He also said that the MRTA will bear all the expenses for the repair work and the compensation for the damage incurred by the road subsidence in front of the Vajira Hospital.
Late last night, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspected the site of the sinkhole. He said that he has instructed the contractors on the underground train project to work around the clock, so traffic flow in the area can be return to normal as soon as safely possible.
He also said it was lucky that no one died or was injured during the subsidence on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Deputy Bangkok Governor Associate Professor Tavida Kamolvej explained that Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt’s declaration of a “disaster zone” in the area around the sinkhole was to enable affected people to access help from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration related agencies.
The Vajira Hospital resumed its out-patient services today, after two days of suspension, but road access to and from the hospital has been switched from the still-closed Samsen Road to Sangkhalok Road.
The BMA has scheduled a meeting of officials every day at 2pm, to update the progress of the repair work and to inform the media after each meeting.
