Bangkok officials discovered water seeping onto Samsen road around 8:30 a.m. today, approximately 2 km from the sinkhole outside Vajira Hospital and Samsen Police Station in the Dusit district of central Bangkok. The road surface appeared to be bulging, similar to what happened before the road in front of Vajira Hospital collapsed.

Bangkok traffic police have placed cones and barriers to close off the section of road. Officials are investigating the cause of the leak.

Water leaks onto a section of Samsen road in central Bangkok, Thailand on 23/9. Photo: The Nation

Water leaks onto a section of Samsen road in central Bangkok, Thailand on 23/9. Photo: The Nation

Previously, water was also detected on the road outside Vajira Hospital at 6 a.m. on 24/9. About 30 minutes later, a 30x30 meter sinkhole appeared. Several cars and utility poles fell into the 50-meter-deep hole.

While there were no casualties, the collapse disrupted public services in the area.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the sinkhole appeared at the construction site of the two-way subway tunnel for the Purple Line, which is being extended to connect western suburbs with the Dusit district. The tunnel has a diameter of 6.5 meters and is located at a depth of 30-35 meters.

The sinkhole was caused by water leaking from a broken pipe at a weak point where the tunnel connects to the station.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said, "The water pipe broke, and the outflowing water eroded the soil beneath the road, causing the incident".

Huyen Le (The Nation, AFP)