An aerial photo showing the site of the under-construction building collapse in Bangkok on March 29, 2025 following an earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar. - AFP
BANGKOK: Thai prosecutors indicted a local construction magnate, Chinese developer and more than 20 other parties linked to the collapse of a partly finished government building in Bangkok that killed 89 workers following an earthquake in March.
Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development Pcl, along with China Railway No. 10 (Thailand) Co and 21 other defendants, were formally charged for professional negligence causing deaths, Sakkasem Nisaiyok, a spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, said in a statement. The filing was made to the criminal court on Thursday (Aug 7).
The high-rise was intended to be the new headquarters of Thailand’s State Audit Office. It was the only major structure in Bangkok to fully collapse after the magnitude-7.7 quake on March 28, which struck neighbouring Myanmar.
Investigators concluded that flaws in design and construction methods caused the collapse, according to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Some defendants also face charges of document forgery and violations of building-control regulations, according to Sakkasem.
The project was being constructed by ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Co. Two Chinese nationals were among those indicted, according to the statement. - Bloomberg
