Bangkok: 30-storey building collapses two days after Myanmar’s earthquake

On Sunday, March 30, a 30-story building collapsed in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district, just two days after Myanmar’s catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake. Notably, this was the only building in Bangkok that collapsed as a result of the tremors.

Authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the collapse and have launched a thorough investigation into the structure. Pongpol Yodmuangcharoen, Secretary to the Industry Minister, stated that a team from the ministry has collected construction materials from the site to assess the quality of the steel bars used in the concrete pillars, beams, and foundation. This assessment is crucial, as investigators suspect that substandard materials, combined with the effects of the earthquake, may have contributed to the failure.

Additionally, Anutin Charnvirakul, the Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, who is overseeing the investigation, emphasized that the primary objective is to determine whether the building’s design complied with earthquake-resistant standards. If the structure met these standards, investigators will shift their focus to other possible causes of the collapse.

Ultimately, the two companies responsible for the building’s construction—one from Thailand and one from China—will be held fully accountable for the incident. Given that no other structures in Bangkok collapsed due to the earthquake, officials suspect that the building may have had structural issues since its construction.