Bangkok residents were left stunned on Wednesday morning when a sinkhole swallowed part of Samsen Road in front of Vajira Hospital.
Bangkok sinkhole latest updates
The collapse happened at around 07:13 local time (02:13 SAST), leaving a giant cavity estimated to be 30 metres wide and 50 metres deep.
According to the Bangkok Post, several cars and electricity poles were pulled into the hole. A forklift truck belonging to the Samsen Metropolitan Police Station was also lost when the road gave way.
Authorities immediately began evacuating around 3,500 hospital inpatients, along with residents from nearby flats, after safety concerns were raised.
“Authorities have begun evacuating patients and residents from the surrounding area for safety reasons,” the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) confirmed in a statement.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt inspected the site personally, while officials from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority were deployed to secure utilities.
Traffic in the area has been shut down from Vajira Intersection to Sanghi Intersection, and disruptions are expected until the road can be stabilised.
Despite the dramatic footage circulating online, which shows cars and poles being pulled into the collapse, no injuries have been reported.
What is a sinkhole and what causes it?
A sinkhole is a large hole that suddenly appears in the ground.
This happens when underground soil or rock becomes too weak to support the surface above it. In many cases, water erosion — where flowing water dissolves softer rock like limestone — plays a major role.
Over time, underground spaces form, and when the surface can no longer hold its weight, it collapses.
Urban sinkholes, like the one in Bangkok, can also be caused by human activity such as construction, drilling, or broken underground pipes. These weaken the soil structure until it caves in.
Thailand has experienced smaller sinkholes before, but this incident near one of Bangkok’s busiest hospitals has drawn significant attention because of the scale, damage, and evacuations involved.
Officials are still investigating the exact cause of the Samsen Road collapse. Engineers will conduct further inspections to ensure no additional sections of the road are at risk.
For now, the focus remains on safety, securing the area, and restoring traffic and utilities in one of the city’s busiest districts.