BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Thai investigators concluded that flaws in the design and construction methods caused the collapse of a partially built Bangkok building that killed at least 89 people during the March 28 earthquake, according to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
An investigation by a government agency and three universities found that the elevator and stairwell walls - key structures meant to absorb shear force - were improperly designed and built, Paetongtarn said at a press briefing Monday.
She added that the quality of steel, concrete and other materials met required standards, disputing earlier reports that substandard steel bars had been used.
"The failure stemmed from deficiencies in both the design and construction methods,” she posted on social media platform X. "In particular, the construction techniques, such as the construction of the elevator shaft wall, did not comply with engineering principles and standards.”
The 30-story building intended to house Thailand’s State Audit Office, was the only structure in the capital to collapse following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar.
Police have filed criminal charges against a prominent Thai construction tycoon and about a dozen others for negligence resulting in the collapse and loss of life.
The building was being constructed by ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Pcl and China Railway Number 10 Thailand Co.
The venture was awarded the 2.14 billion baht ($65.75 million) contract through competitive bidding in 2020, with construction starting later that year, according to the State Audit Office.
Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development, the project’s main contractor, was among more than a dozen executives, engineers, designers and supervisors who reported to police after a court issued arrest warrants.
A fact-finding committee will submit its report to the Department of Special Investigation and Royal Thai Police for further action, Paetongtarn wrote on X. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
