Rescuers pull survivor from collapsed Thai building

BANGKOK - Thai rescuers Tuesday pulled a survivor from the rubble of a collapsed building as they searched for five workers still trapped a day after the cave-in left three dead and 24 injured, officials said.

Rescue teams have kept up their hunt for the workers since the under-construction student accommodation block toppled Monday afternoon in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok.

Late Tuesday afternoon they pulled out alive a 24-year-old Thai man from the wreckage, local governor Pongsathorn Sajjacholapund told AFP by telephone.

"The rescuers kept him alive by giving him water through a hose... he has just been pulled out alive but looks weak," he said.

The governor said three people were killed and 24 injured after the six-storey building collapsed.

"There are five people still trapped," Pongsathorn said, adding that it was unlikely they would be found alive.

Rescue efforts using cranes to sift through piles of broken concrete were ongoing late Tuesday.

Labour groups have warned about lax safety standards and low wages at Thai construction sites, especially for migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, who are often paid below the country's minimum daily wage.

The nation has seen a building boom in recent years as the property market has soared.