I Felt Hotel Building Move Says Kedah Cycling Coach Caught In Bangkok Quake

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Kedah women’s cycling team head coach Noor Alfizar Othman said her members’ relatives and families have been informed about their safety and wellbeing. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: The Kedah women’s cycling team, which is in Thailand for a competition, are safe following Friday’s earthquake that hit Bangkok.
The team’s head coach, Noor Alfizar Othman, said the four cyclists and four officials arrived in Bangkok at 11.45am yesterday to take part in the Tour of Thailand 2025, reported Bernama.
After arriving at their hotel an hour later, Alfizar said she felt the building move and saw electric poles and traffic lights on the road sway.
She said she saw people outside scrambling in all directions, with the hotel’s receptionist telling them to leave and move to a safer area.
“The situation was quite chaotic … I told the team to grab their important belongings and leave the hotel. We wanted to be far from Bangkok to ensure our safety,” she said.
“Thank God we are all safe, and the cyclists’ relatives and families have been informed about their safety and wellbeing.
“Last night, most of us couldn’t sleep because we were worried, and there were still some tremors, though not as severe as the first one. We could also hear ambulance and fire engine sirens until early in the morning.
“Thankfully, all the cyclists are in good spirits again after seeing cyclists from other teams here. They are eager to start the race on Monday, and I’m relieved about that,” she said.
Alfizar said an official from the Malaysian National Cycling Federation contacted her to inquire about their condition. Officials from the Thailand Cycling Association were also helping the team to leave Bangkok early this morning.
The death toll from the huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed the 1,000 mark today, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.
AFP reported that the quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people.
At least 1,002 people were killed and nearly 2,400 injured in Myanmar, with 10 more deaths confirmed in Bangkok. - FMT

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