A tragic event unfolded in the heart of Bangkok, where a strong disaster caused the collapse of the State Audit Office’s tower on March 28. Among the victims is 30-year-old Phiraphon Mowiang, an engineer from Khon Kaen, who just escaped suicide.
” My bosses are a kind-hearted married couple from my village”, he said. They employed him to work in Bangkok and he was among five persons on the crew.
” On that day, my boss told me to come along and get a liquid container from the ground surface and bring it up to the 27th ground where we work”, he recalled.
It was an ordinary activity in the middle of his workweek. He went down with the boss’s girl, Araya Kaenmuang, and just as they arrived on the ground ground, he felt the earth shake violently.
” I heard the distinct hole of concrete”, Mr Phiraphon said, his words still trembling from the memory.
” Before I could relate, the whole tower began to shake. The windows cracked, and the sound of cries filled the air. It felt like the universe was falling apart around me”.
Amid the swirling dust and debris, Mr Phiraphon and Ms Araya managed to make a move for protection.
They dashed through the conflict, running toward a gate where they could leave. The air was thick with dirt, and it was hard to breathe. But despite the evil surrounding him, Mr Phiraphon made it out alive.
The decline claimed not only the developing but likewise 15 lives of people working in it, while dozens of other people are still missing.
His bosses are Damrong Phonglunhit and Ornuma Kaenmuang.
Ornuma’s body was found in the dust on Tuesday and the body taken up to Chum Phae for a death on Friday.
Her father, Damrong, is still missing, as is their son-in-law, Jetsada” Fas” Sonchai, 21, who was Araya’s companion and even part of their staff on the 27th surface.
However, back in Khon Kaen, Phiraphon’s parents impatiently awaited information of their son’s death. His parents, Mr Seng, and family, Ms Phawana, have only the one baby, and their concern for his health was enormous.
They had heard about the quake and the decline of the tower. They attempted to reach Phiraphon, but for three agonising time, there was no term.
Every evening, Ms Phawana prayed. She made a pledge to the divine spirits: if her child survived, she had had him ordained as a priest for seven times as an offering of thanks. ” I prayed every day, my hands folded in hope”, she said. ” And after three days, the phone call came. My brother was alive”.
When he called household, his family felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She believed her prayer had been answered and her family had been blessed.
A gloomy atmosphere hung over Pho That church in Chum Phae region where Ornuma’s funeral was held on Friday.
Mr Phiraphon, determined to glory her recollection, chose to become ordained as a priest and devote his prayers to her heart. It was also a way of fulfilling his family’s oath.
The other victim he fled with that morning, 22-year-old Araya Kaenmuang, the dead person’s child, said she worked alongside her parents in the building’s electrical program on the 27th ground every time.
” My mother asked me to pick up some equipment on the ground floor. When I reached the ground, I felt the building sway. I thought it was a normal occurrence, but then I heard two loud cracks. The building was trembling. I ran out of the building and tried to call my mum”.
She was unable to reach her parents by phone as the building collapsed. She held on to hope, praying that her loved ones were still alive beneath the rubble.
Despite the uncertainty, Ms Araya is still hoping against all odds that her father and her boyfriend survive.
The pain of losing loved ones was not only felt by the two families of Ms Araya and Mr Phiraphon.
In a nearby village, Chai Laopeng, 70, waited for any news of his son, Kwanchai, who was also working in the building when it came down.
Mr Chai held on to faith, believing in miracles and in possibility his son would emerge from the wreckage alive.
” My son is a hardworking man”, he said. ” He’s the breadwinner of our family, and I won’t give up hope. I believe that if the gods will it, he will come back to us”.
For all the families involved, the emotional toll was immense. They had been planning for reunions, weddings, and other family activities during the Songkran holiday next week, only to have their hopes dashed in a single moment.
Yet despite the devastation, there was a collective belief in miracles– a hope that their loved ones might still be alive, trapped but not yet lost.
Holding onto hope: Chai Laopeng, 70, is still waiting for the return of his son.