Nonthaburi Orders Evacuation as Shophouse Column Tilts, Cracks
Authorities in Nonthaburi ordered the evacuation of a five‑unit shophouse after a supporting column cracked and leaned, raising fears of imminent collapse. No injuries were reported, but residents were moved out and the building was cordoned off pending a structural inspection. The owner said he had seen no warning signs before the incident.
Panic spread through the community as a corner column of a three‑story, five‑unit shophouse on Soi Rewadi 19 cracked and tilted, prompting Nonthaburi City Municipality to order a full evacuation over fears of collapse. At 6:30 p.m. on October 2, 2069, municipal officials received a report that a supporting column of a shophouse in Soi Rewadi had sunk and leaned. The incident occurred at shophouse No. 231, Soi Rewadi 19, Talat Khwan Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nonthaburi Province. Officials from the municipality’s engineering division and Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station were dispatched to the scene. The scene is a row of five attached three‑and‑a‑half‑storey shophouses running from Soi Rewadi 19 to Soi Rewadi 21. At the front corner column of shophouse No. 231, large chunks of concrete had broken off and fallen onto the road, and the column was visibly leaning. Meanwhile, the rear extension of the building showed widening cracks where the structure was pulling apart. Officers had to evacuate all residents immediately, worried the building could no longer bear its weight and might collapse. They cordoned off the entire row as a dangerous zone, prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting the buildings. Sompoch, 59, the building owner, said he had lived there for more than 28 years and owned the property outright. He noted there had been no warning signs — no cracks, no noises — everything had seemed normal because he inspected it daily. He does not know the cause, has already moved out, and is afraid to stay inside, waiting for engineers to assess the building, fearing it could collapse and injure or kill someone else. His son, Watcharaphong, 31, said his mother called him down to look after hearing a loud bang and seeing stones falling from the front of the building. He was shocked because the building had shown no prior signs of trouble; the incident happened suddenly today. Initially, police closed one lane of Soi Rewadi to traffic, while Nonthaburi City Municipality issued an order prohibiting use of all five shophouse units so engineers can inspect the structural integrity and determine remedial measures.
