Burmese worker injured in house collapse in Thailand

A Burmese labourer was injured when an under-construction house he was working on collapsed in Thailand.

Kyaw Myo, 33, was renovating the 40-year-old two-storey building when one of the concrete pillars gave way, sending a chunk of the second floor made of wood falling on top of him in Bangkok on July 31.

Kyaw, his employers, and the other workers managed to avoid being buried under the debris, but a sharp glass fragment cut his right arm.

Medics arrived at the scene to administer first aid.

Police Captain Nuttapong Jaritngam of the Bang Khun Non Police Station said: 'From the investigation, a 36-year-old Burmese man who is a friend of the injured person, was hired to renovate the house.

'Before the incident, he, Mr. Kyaw Myo, and the employer, a total of three people, were standing in the middle of the house. During that time, the concrete pillar in the middle of the house broke, causing the concrete wall and the second floor to collapse.

'Fortunately, all three of them jumped out in time.'

Wandee Prakkaew, 86, the homeowner's grandmother and neighbour, said the house was being demolished and rebuilt after 40 years.

She said: 'My grandson bought the house from my brother, and he was renovating it to make it more livable. During the incident, I heard a loud noise. When I opened the window and looked outside, I was shocked to see the house had collapsed.'

Authorities have temporarily suspended the construction while forensic officers were collecting evidence.