Massive 50 m (164 feet) deep sinkhole opens near Vajira Hospital, Bangkok
A sinkhole measuring about 30 m x 30 m (98 x 98 feet) and 50 m (164 feet) deep opened around 06:30–07:00 LT on September 24, 2025, in front of Vajira Hospital, Bangkok, swallowing vehicles and damaging utilities.
Sinkhole opens up near Vajira Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand on September 24, 2025. Credit: CNA
A massive sinkhole formed around 06:30–07:00 LT on September 24, 2025, on Samsen Road, Dusit district, Bangkok, directly in front of Vajira Hospital. The crater measured about 30 m x 30 m (98 x 98 feet) and 50 m (164 feet) deep, swallowing several vehicles, damaging electricity poles, and rupturing water pipes. So far, no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Authorities rapidly evacuated patients, hospital staff, nearby residents, and a police station amid fears of further collapse. Vajira Hospital halted outpatient services for at least two days, delaying thousands of routine appointments. Power and water in the surrounding area were shut off as a precaution.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) deployed drones to survey the site, detecting continued ground movement around the sinkhole.
Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said that the collapse began at the joint between an under-construction metro tunnel and a planned station. According to the governot, soil from above the station slipped into the tunnel, setting off a chain reaction that caused the ground to give way.
Local reports also pointed to a burst underground water pipe that may have accelerated the erosion, though engineers have yet to confirm the exact sequence of events.
Roads around the Vajira–Sanghi intersection were shut down, with traffic redirected through other parts of Dusit district.
Officials cautioned that heavy monsoon rains could make stabilization more difficult.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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