50m-deep sinkhole opens up near Bangkok hospital, swallowing a tow truck, patients evacuated

A humungous sinkhole about 50 metres deep opened up in front of a hospital in Bangkok's Dusit district on Sep. 24, amidst subway construction in the area.

Bangkok authorities announced immediate road closures as the sinkhole continued to expand, while patients and nearby residents were urgently evacuated as a precaution, Thai media reported.

No injuries have been reported thus far.

50-metre deep sinkhole

At around 7am, traffic police reported that the road in front of Vajira Hospital on Bangkok's Samsen road had collapsed, The Nation Thailand reported.

Authorities cordoned off traffic to allow repairs to be conducted.

Samsen Fire and Rescue Station officers found that the sinkhole was 30 metres by 30 metres wide and 50 metres deep, Khaosod English reported.

Pictures and footage of the sinkhole showed a pickup truck on the verge of falling in, and a burst underground pipe.

A road closure of Samsen Road and the surrounding areas was announced by the Dusit district office.

Residents of nearby flats were also instructed to evacuate.

Road sank due to subway construction: Governor

Two electricity poles and a tow truck from the nearby Samsen police station fell into the sinkhole as it expanded, The Nation Thailand reported.

A clip shared to X showed workers and passersby at the scene retreating as the sinkhole widened.

Vajira Hospital has since closed its outpatient service and evacuated all its patients, Thai PBS World reported.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the road sank because soil collapsed into an underground tunnel during subway construction.

Repairs are ongoing.

Top image from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration/Facebook