One worker was killed and 11 more injured after an ancient Buddhist temple collapsed while it was being renovated yesterday afternoon (September 26).<br /><br />Dozens of specialists were restoring a 20-metre-high stone monument built in the 1700s when it collapsed trapping men beneath the rubble in Bangkok, Thailand, at around 1:30pm.<br /><br />Eleven stranded workers - nine men and two women - were rescued and later in the evening a 12th victim was recovered from the debris at the Phraya Tham Voraviharn Temple. <br /><br />He was rushed to hospital but later pronounced dead. Three of the men were seriously injured and are in a critical condition in hospital. <br />. <br />Police said the workers were moving in steel girders to support the foundation of the pagoda when it tilted and crashed. The structure that fell was a ''stupa'' used as a bell tower.<br /><br />Lieutenant Colonel Peetya Hawangjoo said: ''The structure was 20 metres high and six metres wide. We are investigating why this happened.''<br /><br />Eyewitnesses recalled loud rumbling noises and saw debris raining on the workers. Rescue workers said it took a few hours before they were able to pull the injured out of the debris. <br /><br />The temple and the pagoda, which was designed as a bell tower, were said to have been built during the time of Thonburi era, in the late 1700s.<br /><br />The Fine Arts Department, which started the renovation in May this year said it will investigate the pagoda disaster.
