‘I rushed down 40 floors in 7.5 minutes,’ recalls Thailand earthquake survivor

Survivors recall terrifying experiences during Myanmar-Thailand earthquake, facing adversities and recounting their ordeals to tell the tale.

Survivors of the massive earthquake that shattered Myanmar and Thailand on Friday recounted the horrors they faced and the adversities they endured to tell the tale.

S.K. Jain, 55, an accounts and tax consultant based in Bangkok, was at the Jewellery Trade Centre (JTC) in the Thai capital’s Silom area for a meeting on Friday. Soon after he reached the 40th floor of the 59-floor building at 1.16 p.m., he messaged a colleague to say he would be back later. Within two minutes, the entire building started shaking, Mr. Jain recalled, he was trapped in a high-rise building during an earthquake.

Myanmar earthquake LIVE updates - March 29, 2025

“It was a nightmare. It was the worst time of my life. I was petrified. The first shock started at around 1.18 p.m. The blinds of the office where I was waiting started swinging by over a foot. It was scary to see that. We all rushed to the staircase to come down. Some said they had left their eight- and 10-carat diamonds on a table as they rushed out. The second tremor started as we reached the 21st floor. We were somewhere between the 18th floor and 21st floor at that time. The entire staircase started shaking vigorously. I remembered all the Gods I had ever thought of! I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it. I came down 40 floors in 7.5 minutes flat. Over 1,500 people came down with me. Many had left their phones in their offices in that hurry. Some were without shoes. We were all on the streets in no time. The traffic jam we witnessed was unprecedented,” Mr. Jain said, narrating his ordeal to The Hindu.

The JTC is a famous hub in Bangkok. There are two wings with 59 floors each. Each floor has 14 offices.

Mr. Jain said Bangkok witnessed 34 aftershocks afterward. People living in high-rise buildings could not return home, and spent the night in tents or small hotels.

“We were all in tents from yesterday till today afternoon around 1 p.m. My house is on the 19th floor. We were specifically instructed by the government to not go back home till it was safe. Structural engineers conducted an audit and gave a report. We were allowed to go back only once this report was given. We stayed in camps,” he said. Water and electricity supply is still widely disrupted.