Serious questions have emerged over the tragedy still playing out on a construction site in Thailand’s capital four days after an earthquake in neighboring Myanmar rattled the metropolis. A 30-story skyscraper that had been under construction was the only tower in Bangkok that completely failed to withstand Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake and the ongoing aftershocks.
It was reduced to a mountain of rubble within seconds on Friday, killing at least 19 people and leaving 77 still missing as of Monday, after the volunteer rescue organization Fire and Rescue Thailand said another body was pulled from the debris.
Thai authorities have ordered an investigation into the isolated collapse to determine whether it could have been due to inadequate building materials, design flaws or a failure in the inspections and approvals process.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the site Monday as heavy machinery pulled at the rubble in hopes of finding more survivors. He said all efforts were focused on finding anyone who might still be saved.
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“Even one life saved is worth all the effort, so I think we have to move on, carry on,” he said.
But he made it clear that authorities were already thinking about how it could have happened and how to prevent it happening again.
“What’s important in the long-term and medium-term — I think we need to find the root cause so at least we can learn some lessons and improve building regulations,” Chadchart told journalists at the scene. “In the end, we will have some results that will improve safety in Bangkok.”
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was among those voicing concern over the weekend about why the skyscraper was the only one to suffer major damage.
“I have questions in my mind,” she said. “What happened from the beginning since it was designed? How was this design approved,” she said. “We have to investigate where the mistake happened.”
The leader confirmed an investigation into the incident, involving a group of experts tasked with providing initial findings within just days.
Some critics have speculated that the steel reinforcement bars used to connect concrete components within the structure may have been too thin, or of insufficient quality. Experts removed several steel rods from the rubble for testing on Monday.
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On Sunday, AFP quoted Thai Industry Minister Akanat Promphan as saying six different types of steel, all from a single manufacturer, had been discovered at the scene.
“The collapse of a building can come from several factors, from design, construction (and) material specification,” Akanat said. “Most important is the standard of the materials.”
Akanat told reporters he’d “found something suspicious” already, but that he’d wait for test results to provide more information.
The project to build the new State Audit Building was a joint venture between a Bangkok-based property developer, the Italian-Thai Development company, and a Chinese state-owned firm, the China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group, which was carrying out much of the actual construction work.
On Sunday, Bangkok Metropolitan Police Major General Noppasin Poonsawat, the deputy commissioner of the force, was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying officers had questioned four Chinese men who were found removing 32 files from containers behind the collapsed building. The men reportedly had work permits for the site and were employed by a company under the auspices of the Italian-Thai Development firm, Noppasin said.
Noppasin was quoted by the Post as saying the files contained documents with information about contractors and sub-contractors on the project, and that the police had seized the files and then released the Chinese men after questioning.
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Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters Sunday that he had ordered the establishment of an investigation committee and that he wanted results reported back to him within seven days.
“We will definitely find the true reasons as to why this building has collapsed, because it’s all scientific,” Anutin said.
Hope was fading fast Monday that any more construction workers could be pulled from the rubble alive, but crews using search dogs continued to retrieve the bodies of victims as families keep vigil near the site, refusing to lose hope.
