A team of doctors in Bangkok performed a dramatic street-side delivery on Friday after a powerful earthquake forced them to evacuate a hospital during surgery. The extraordinary event unfolded outside the Police General Hospital, where a pregnant woman in the middle of an operation was rushed out of the building as tremors rocked Thailand.
A life born amid disaster
The woman, who had been undergoing surgery when the earthquake struck, was carried outside by medical staff, who then proceeded with the emergency delivery on a stretcher in the open air. Police Colonel Sirikul Srisanga, a spokesperson for the hospital, confirmed that the woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy, surrounded by doctors and nurses.
Videos of the dramatic moment have since gone viral on social media, showing multiple patients on stretchers in the hospital courtyard while healthcare workers continued treatments under the open sky.
According to the Thai Enquirer, the woman’s surgery was nearly complete when the tremors hit. “While closing the abdominal wall, an earthquake occurred. The surgical team decided to stabilize the patient and evacuate them to a safer location,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Jiramrit.
Despite the chaotic circumstances, the medical team swiftly assessed the patient’s condition and determined that the abdominal closure had to be completed immediately to prevent complications. “Given the urgency, the surgical team proceeded with the final closure of the abdominal wall in a sterile environment outside the operating room, completing the procedure within 10 minutes,” Jiramrit added.
Both the mother and the newborn are now in stable condition and recovering in a hospital room, the hospital confirmed.
Emergency response under pressure
The hospital had no dedicated earthquake response plan and instead followed its fire evacuation plan, which prioritizes patient safety. As a result, patients were moved to designated areas while civil engineers inspected the hospital buildings for structural damage.
Myanmar earthquake sends tremors across Thailand
The extraordinary birth occurred in the wake of two massive earthquakes that struck Myanmar on Friday, registering magnitudes of 7.7 and 6.4. The tremors, which hit at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time, caused widespread damage and were felt across Thailand, with buildings swaying and swimming pools overflowing.
The death toll in Myanmar surged past 1,000 on Saturday as rescuers pulled more bodies from the rubble of collapsed buildings near the country’s second-largest city.
In Thailand, Bangkok authorities confirmed that six people have died, 26 have been injured, and 47 remain missing, with most of the casualties reported from a construction site near the bustling Chatuchak market.
As rescue efforts continue, the earthquake has left a lasting mark on the region, with lives lost, buildings reduced to debris, and, remarkably, one new life entering the world in the midst of it all.