Bangkok rescue footage taken night after building collapse, not days later

Published on April 4, 2025 at 09:32
3 min read
By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand

Tremors from a massive earthquake in Myanmar flattened a building in Bangkok on March 28, 2025. As search and rescue operations entered their fifth day, footage of a person trapped in the rubble spread on Thai social media alongside claims that workers found a new survivor. But the video was recorded the same day the tower collapsed, and city officials confirmed to AFP that there were no new survivors on April 1.

"1/04/2025 One more new survivor was found. Miracle is real. Please hang tight. Everyone is trying to rescue you. We're sending mental support. Information: Chayan Sawatdee," reads a Thai-language Facebook post shared April 1.

Text superimposed on the video reads: "Miracles are real."

The clip shows nighttime rescue efforts at the rubble site with someone saying: "OK, the toe wiggled. I can see your toe. Hang tight."

Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post taken April 3, 2025

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar sent tremors to cities hundreds of kilometers away in China and Thailand. In Bangkok, a skyscraper that was under construction collapsed, prompting a rescue mission and scrutiny over a Chinese developer. (archived links here and here).

As rescue operations entered their eighth day on April 4, authorities at the site said they had found nine survivors and 15 bodies, while nearly 80 people remained missing.

The clip racked up more than 71,000 likes and 8,300 shares, with captions celebrating what appeared to be footage of someone rescued after spending three days under the rubble.

"Overjoyed that they found another one alive. I hope they keep finding more survivors," one commenter said.

Another user wrote: "I'm happy for the survivor."

However, the clip was filmed March 28 -- not April 1.

A keyword search for "Chayan Sawatdee" surfaced the same video posted March 31 by a Facebook user with that name -- a rescue worker at Bang O Fire and Rescue Station in Bangkok (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the misleading post (L) and Chayan's video on Facebook

Chayan confirmed to AFP that he filmed the video the same day the building collapsed.

"I took the clip on the first day," Chayan said during an April 3 phone interview. "A man survived."

Metadata from Chayan's original video, which he shared with AFP, confirmed it was filmed the evening of March 28, hours after the skyscraper collapsed.

Screenshot from Metadata2go.com taken April 4, 2025

A representative from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) confirmed to AFP that no survivors were rescued April 1.

AFP has fact-checked other false and misleading claims about the earthquake here.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail