Bangkok Clears Debris of Collapsed Tower as Dozens Still Missing

Bangkok city administration began clearing debris from a tower that crashed in last week’s earthquake, as hopes of finding survivors among the dozens of workers feared still trapped was all but over.

City authorities ordered the use of heavy machineries to cut through the mountain of concrete rubble, while keeping rescue teams on standby in case they spot any vital signs of life, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters on Friday. Rescuers pulled two more dead bodies from the site overnight, raising the death toll from the skyscraper collapse to 17. More than 70 workers are still missing, while nine have so far been rescued.