Bangkok Sinkhole Linked to MRT Station Collapse

A massive sinkhole opened on Samsen Road in downtown Bangkok on Sept. 24 in front of Vajira Hospital and a nearby police station, measuring about 30 by 30 metres and up to roughly 50 metres deep, swallowing vehicles, pulling down power lines and rupturing water pipes with no reported casualties. Authorities evacuated the hospital, the police station and surrounding homes, cut electricity and water, cordoned off the area and suspended outpatient services while cranes recovered vehicles. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) said the collapse occurred above the under‑construction Vajira Hospital MRT station after a tunnel caved in, blamed unstable soil, changing groundwater and broken mains for undermining the works, and has taken responsibility and begun inspections of the Purple Line extension. Emergency crews have dumped sandbags, crushed stone and other materials into the crater to block water and stem soil loss, and officials warned heavy rain could worsen erosion and further destabilize nearby buildings; one police station building has lost foundation support and remains at risk. Investigations and urgent repairs are ongoing as teams work to stabilise the site, reopen the road and complete tunnel inspections before resuming the rail extension schedule.