The building was a $63 million joint venture between a leading Thai construction company and a subsidiary of China Railway Engineering Corporation.
The death toll reached more than 1,700, with many still missing in Burma, also known as Myanmar, the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on March 28. USGS said on Sunday that a 5.1 magnitude aftershock has hit 13 miles northwest of Mandalay in Burma.
Meanwhile, the Thai government announced a probe on March 29 into a 33-story building that collapsed during the earthquake with nine workers confirmed killed and about 100 missing. The building was a joint Thai–China construction project.
Some glass windows installed as cladding on the building could be seen falling off as the entire structure collapsed within seconds. The cloud of dust that rose as the building collapsed into a mound was caught by witnesses in videos shared on social media.
The building, some 800 miles from the epicenter, was the only high-rise to collapse from the quake in Thailand.
Acknowledging public concerns at a March 29 press conference as to why only this one building collapsed in Bangkok while similar nearby structures remained intact, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that the government has ordered the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning to investigate what caused the structural failure of the high-rise structure, with a reporting deadline in a week.
Shinawatra said the department has also been asked to investigate those responsible for the building design and how the design, which was said to be a unique “core tube + flat slab” structure, was approved.
“I watched multiple clips of the building collapse from different angles. From my experience in the construction industry, I have never seen an issue like this,” the prime minister said. “We must investigate thoroughly because a significant portion of the budget was allocated, and the deadline for completion had been extended.”
The building, which had a scheduled completion date of Dec. 31, 2023, was to be used as Thailand’s new Office of the Auditor General.
By Melanie Sun
