Over 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter, in Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, a 33-story under-construction high-rise building fell as a fatal 7.7-magnitude earthquake slammed Myanmar on Friday.
When Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s deputy prime minister, visited the collapse site on Saturday, he demanded a quick investigation into the tragedy, causing many people to wonder what went wrong with the skyscraper, which was being built by a joint venture that included a Chinese company.
Clearly something is amiss.
Despite being peppered with cranes, this 33-story high-rise skyscraper fell apart after the powerful earthquake tremors. Eight bodies have so far been found among the skyscraper’s wreckage.
There are now a lot of people wondering how and why the skyscraper fell so fast. A Democrat Party lawmaker and civil engineer named Prof. Suchatchavee Suwansawas informed The Telegraph UK that there was “definitely” a problem.
“Every other structure, including newly constructed high-rises, is secure. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, so either the construction or the design was flawed,” he said.
Built during a three-year period
According to reports, the collapsed structure was the incomplete headquarters of Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO), which had been built for three years at a cost of over two billion Thai baht (about $58 million).
Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. collaborated on the project. With 49% of the shares, the latter company is a subsidiary of China Railway Number 10 Engineer Group Company, which is the greatest shareholding foreign organizations can have in a Thai company, according to The Telegraph UK.
China Railway Number 10 Thailand, according to local Thai media, was founded in 2018 and operates as a construction contractor for public highways, office buildings, residential structures, railroads, and subterranean railways.
The business had a net loss of 199.66 million baht in 2023, with 206.25 million baht in revenue and 354.95 billion baht in expenses.
Manas Sri-anant owns 3% of the company’s shares, Prachuab Sirikhet owns 10.20%, and Sophon Meechai owns 40.80% of its shares.
A deputy prime minister in Thailand orders an investigation.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry dispatched an inspection team to the site of the fallen tower to ascertain whether the event was caused by subpar steel or bad engineering design.
After visiting the scene, Thailand’s deputy prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, also ordered a high-level investigation into the collapse. “I’m choosing the committee to conduct the probe. He informed reporters that he had given them seven days to report back on the situation and the reason behind the collapse.
According to municipal officials on Sunday, at least 18 people were killed in Bangkok, while 33 others were injured and 78 were still unaccounted for. The majority of these deaths were caused by workers who were crushed beneath the debris of the skyscraper that collapsed.
According to a Reuters story, rescuers are sifting through the enormous wreckage, which includes twisted metal and broken concrete mounds, in a race against time to reach the survivors. Teerasak Thongmo, a Thai police commander, stated that his squad of officers and search dogs was trying to find the survivors. “Anyone who might still be alive is being sought after by our squad. We must attempt to save those who are still alive during the first 72 hours,” he continued.
As of Sunday, the earthquake in Myanmar has killed almost 1,700 people, injured 3,400 more, and left more than 300 people unaccounted for.
In an effort to reach the survivors, rescuers are racing through the massive wreckage, which includes broken concrete mounds and twisted metal, according to a Reuters story. According to Thai police commander Teerasak Thongmo, his team of policemen and search dogs was attempting to locate the survivors. “Our team is looking for anyone who might still be alive. During the first 72 hours, we have to try to save those who are still alive,” he added.
Nearly 1,700 people have died, 3,400 have been injured, and over 300 are still missing as a result of the earthquake in Myanmar as of Sunday.
Additionally, seismic waves—that is, the earth’s vibrations—slow down, accumulate, and grow larger in Bangkok since the city is built on soft soil. Consequently, the intensity of the ground shaking increased.
“Flat slab.”
Prof. Amorn Pimarnmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, stated in a BBC article that although guidelines for earthquake-proofing buildings are in place in forty-three provinces, less than ten percent of the buildings are genuinely thought to be earthquake-resistant.
But since the fallen tower was relative, it would have been subject to new building rules. Bangkok’s fragile soil, which may magnify ground shaking three to four times over, may have contributed to its collapse, according to Dr. Pimarnmas.
According to some experts, a “flat slab” is a construction method in which floors are designed to rest directly on columns without the need for beams.
A senior lecturer in seismic engineering at Imperial College London, Dr. Christian Málaga-Chuquitaype, clarified, “Consider a table that is solely supported by its legs and lacks any further horizontal supports underneath. In spite of its financial and architectural benefits, this construction does not fare well in earthquakes and frequently fails in a violent, brittle, and nearly explosive way.
There is yet hope.
As thermal imaging drones apparently found at least 15 people who were likely still alive, friends and families of those trapped beneath the fallen skyscraper expressed some hope.
Nevertheless, the hope is waning. Speaking to her parents right before the earthquake occurred on Friday at around 12:30 pm (local time), Pat Kongporn, one of the relatives whose parents are trapped beneath the debris, said The Telegraph.
After traveling from a city fifty miles north to Bangkok, she declared that she would remain until she learned more about her parents or until their remains were discovered.
