Thai watchdog had flagged concerns on Bangkok building that collapsed in earthquake
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An unfinished skyscraper in Bangkok was reduced to rubble when the massive earthquake struck on March 28.
PHOTO: AFP
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BANGKOK – An anti-corruption watchdog flagged irregularities in the construction of a Bangkok skyscraper that collapsed in an earthquake on March 28 and killed at least 11 people, the head of the monitoring group has said.
The government threatened to cancel the project earlier in 2024 because of delays, said Mr Mana Nimitmongkol, president of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, on March 30.
The government has announced an investigation into the cause of the collapse of the tower, which was being built by a Chinese company and a long-established Thai construction company.
Rescuers were still desperately searching
The unfinished tower was the only Bangkok building that completely crumbled when a 7.7-magnitude quake
Construction of the building, which began in 2020, is being carried out by a joint venture between Italian Thai Development and a local subsidiary of China’s state-owned China Railway Group, the China Railway Number 10 (Thailand).
Italian Thai Development and China Railway Group did not immediately comment when contacted by Reuters.
The audit office has said it will investigate the cause of the building collapse.
The tower was originally slated for completion by 2026 but was behind schedule.
The deputy auditor general, Mr Sutthipong Boonnithi, told reporters on March 29 that construction was only “30 per cent completed” before it collapsed.
Site visits to the project during construction by the anti-corruption group raised concerns about delays, worker shortages and possible corner-cutting, Mr Mana said.
“Sometimes the number of workers on site were much fewer than there should be, causing delays,” he said. “Potentially, there was a rush to complete the project towards the end, which could cause a drop in the standard of work.”
Mr Mana, whose organisation scrutinises some 170 government projects around Thailand, said the construction delay was so severe that the audit office threatened to cancel the contract with the two construction companies in January.
No other buildings collapsed
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered government agencies on March 29 to investigate the root cause
The official Thai investigation is looking into the construction plan, the standard of the material used, as well as possible unsafe action during the construction of the building.
Mr Han Zhiqiang, China’s ambassador to Thailand, said on March 30 that China would cooperate in the investigation.
Thai Industry Minister Akanat Promphan said he was concerned substandard steel may have been used in the construction of the building as he led the team collecting samples from the rubble on March 30.
The material gathered was being tested at the site, and results were expected to be announced on March 31.
The ministry has been cracking down on companies that have produced substandard steel over the past six months, shutting down seven factories and seizing 360 million baht (S$14 million) worth of assets from these steel companies, he said.
“Many of these factories used an old production process and equipment relocated from China,” Mr Akanat said, adding: “This has led to sub-standard steel.”
Experts from the council of engineers that is assisting the government in surveying buildings around the Thai capital for earthquake damages speculated that the skyscraper could have collapsed due to unsafe material or poor planning in the building process.
“It is strange that no other buildings suffered like this,” Mr Anek Siripanichgorn, a board member of the Council of Engineers Thailand, told Reuters.
“Even other tall buildings under construction, they did not collapse,” he said. REUTERS
