Thai anti-corruption watchdog officials have informed Reuters that there may have been violations in the construction of a skyscraper in Bangkok that collapsed during a powerful earthquake last Friday, causing at least 11 deaths and leaving dozens still missing. Thai authorities suspect that the building used substandard steel materials.
According to Reuters on March 31, Mana Nimitmongkol, chairman of the anti-corruption organization in Thailand, indicated on Sunday (March 30) that the government had considered canceling the project earlier this year due to delays.
The Thai government has launched an investigation into the cause of the collapsed building, which was built jointly by China Railway Group and a longstanding Thai construction company.
Last Friday, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, affecting neighboring Thailand. The unfinished building in Bangkok was the only one that completely collapsed. On Monday, rescuers were still searching desperately for 76 more people trapped under the rubble of the collapsed 30-story building.
Construction of the building began in 2020 and was a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD) and a subsidiary of China Railway Group called China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd.
Reuters reached out to Italian-Thai Development PCL and China Railway Group for comment but they did not immediately respond.
The building was intended to be an office tower for Thailand’s Audit Office. The Audit Office stated that they would investigate the cause of the building collapse but did not respond to questions through email from Reuters regarding potential contract cancellations.
The building was originally scheduled for completion in 2026 but faced delays. Deputy auditor general Sutthipong Boonnithi told reporters last Saturday that construction was only 30% complete before the collapse.
Mana stated that during construction, his organization conducted on-site visits to the project, raising concerns about delays, labor shortages, and potential shortcuts.
“At times, there were significantly fewer workers on site than necessary, leading to delays,” he said. “There may have been a rush to complete the project at the end, which could have compromised the quality of work.”
His organization is responsible for reviewing around 170 government projects nationwide, and he noted that the construction delays were severe, prompting the Audit Office to threaten contract cancellations with the two construction companies in January.
ITD’s stock price fell by 30% when the market opened on Monday.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered government agencies to investigate the root causes of the building collapse within a week last Saturday. Thai officials are currently looking into the construction plans, material standards, and possible safety hazards during the construction process.
The Chinese Ambassador to Thailand stated on Sunday that they would cooperate with the investigation.
Thai Minister of Industry Akanat Promphan told Reuters that he is concerned that substandard steel materials may have been used in the construction of the building. He led a team to collect samples from the rubble last Sunday.
The collected materials are currently undergoing testing on-site.
He mentioned that the Ministry has been cracking down on companies producing substandard steel materials over the past six months, shutting down seven factories and confiscating assets worth 360 million Thai baht ($10 million) from these steel companies.
“Many of these factories were using outdated production processes and equipment imported from China,” Akanat explained. “This led to the production of substandard steel materials.”
Experts from the engineering committee assisting the government in investigating earthquake damage to buildings around Bangkok speculate that the collapse of the skyscraper may have been due to unsafe materials or poorly planned construction processes.
Anek Siripanichgorn, a member of the board of the Thai Engineering Council, told Reuters, “It’s strange that no other buildings suffered this kind of damage.”
“Even other high-rise buildings under construction did not collapse,” he added.