BANGKOK — Thai officials have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse of a single office tower under construction in Bangkok, which succumbed to an earthquake last Friday. Despite the earthquake resulting in limited damage across the capital, the specific site of the collapse, a 30-story building belonging to the State Audit Office, has left 78 workers unaccounted for.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the distressed location as heavy machinery worked to remove debris. He emphasized the search and rescue efforts, stating, “Even one life saved is worth all the effort, so I think we have to move on, carry on.” With safety as a primary concern for the city’s residents living and working in numerous high-rise structures, the investigation’s findings will be vital for future regulations and safety assurances.
The earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 7.7, had its epicenter more than 800 miles away. Its repercussions were devastating in neighboring Myanmar, resulting in over 2,000 fatalities and claiming at least 18 lives in Thailand, primarily at the construction site near Chatuchak Market. Chadchart stressed the need to “find the root cause” to improve building regulations and enhance safety in Bangkok.
The financial impact has been significant for the project developer, Italian Thai Development, whose shares plummeted by 27%. Amid concerns about the building’s design and the enforcement of construction codes, scrutiny also falls on the state-run Chinese contractor, a subsidiary of China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group, responsible for the construction. The company had previously celebrated the completion of the 450-foot structure’s top, boasting the project’s design and quality.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the Interior Minister and owner of a major construction conglomerate in Thailand, has initiated an investigative committee aiming to report findings within a week. Anutin pinpointed possible faults with the building’s design, the inspections, or the construction process itself. Given Bangkok’s geographic disposition on an unstable alluvial plain, seismic impacts can be more pronounced, complicating the city’s ongoing battles with subsidence due to its skyscrapers’ weight.
Friday’s earthquake was notably intense, causing scenes of water cascading from rooftop pools, light-rail trains swaying, and mass evacuations from homes and offices. Safety checks were prompted soon afterward, with an aftershock warning on Monday briefly reviving public concern, leading to evacuation scares.
Previous incidents have already raised questions about the regulatory measures governing construction quality and safety in Bangkok. Concerns continue about materials such as steel rods used in construction that were meant to bolster concrete slabs and pillars. Superficial damages like cracked plasters were predominantly observed in newer buildings constructed by private developers.
In response to the calamity, Chadchart advised building proprietors to verify whether any cracks in their properties were existing or new. The Thailand Structural Engineers Association is organizing volunteer assessments, particularly encouraging a reevaluation of large-scale projects.
Buildings erected before updates to construction standards mandating earthquake resilience, like many in Bangkok, do not meet current safety criteria. Christian Malaga-Chuquitaype of the Imperial College London noted that designs maximizing open space, such as indiscriminately using flat slabs and slender columns without substantial beams, although cost-effective, perform disastrously in earthquakes. He advocated for a comprehensive forensic analysis of the building collapse, cautioning against this building type in seismically active regions.