Bangkok hospital drama as earthquake strikes during birth
The tremors that occurred in Thailand also affected other countries, including Myanmar, where at least 1,700 people were killed. During the earthquake, at one of Bangkok's hospitals, 36-year-old Kanthong Saenmuangshin went into labour. The medical staff had to evacuate her from the fifth floor.
On Friday, 28th March, Thailand was hit by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7, which caused massive destruction across many areas of the country. The tremors were so intense that they were felt not only in Thailand but also in neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, China, India, Cambodia, and Bangladesh.
In one of Bangkok's hospitals, a dramatic situation unfolded that will remain in the memory of both medical staff and patients for a long time. Thirty-six-year-old Kanthong Saenmuangshin, who was at the hospital for routine tests, went into labour just as the ground began to shake.
Her waters broke exactly when the powerful tremors struck. "I was telling my baby, don't come out yet," the woman later recounted in a conversation with Reuters.
The whole situation was extremely dramatic because, during the earthquake, hospital patients were evacuated to the ground floor or outside. The medical staff promptly took action to assist Kanthong. She was on the fifth floor of the hospital and was carried down by the rescue team. After her childbirth, which occurred during the tremors, the ground shaking subsided.
Earthquake in Bangkok
The scale of the destruction caused by the earthquake was immense. The epicentre of the tremors was located at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles), and the effects were felt not only in Thailand but also in neighbouring countries. In Myanmar, where the situation was particularly tragic, at least 1,700 people were killed and 3,400 were injured.
Thailand was not without casualties either – at least 17 people were killed, and 32 were injured as a result of the earthquake. The junta ruling Myanmar declared a state of emergency in six regions of the country where the tremors caused massive destruction.
Many people are considered missing, and the material losses are enormous. Authorities in Myanmar and Thailand immediately launched a rescue operation aimed at finding the missing and providing assistance to the victims.
