The tower that collapsed in Bangkok during an earthquake in March was poorly designed, according to research by the Thai government. It was the only building in Bangkok that collapsed during the earthquake. At least 92 people died.
The thirty-story tower was still under construction. Most of the victims were construction workers.
The walls around the elevators and stairwells were not well designed, according to research by the government and three universities. The quality of the concrete and steel did not meet building guidelines. For example, the steel pipes used were too short.
The earthquake was well felt in Bangkok: people fled into the streets in panic. The tower under construction was the only building that collapsed in the Thai capital. The government therefore decided to investigate the structural state.
“The collapse was the result of shortcomings in both the design and construction methods,” Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra wrote on X on Monday. “In particular, the construction techniques did not meet the technical principles and standards.”
The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred on March 28 and the epicenter was in the Myanmar city of Mandalay, about 1,000 kilometers from Bangkok. Most of the victims were in Myanmar: more than three thousand dead and five thousand injured.
In May, a Thai contractor and fourteen other people involved were charged by the police with negligence resulting in collapse. That investigation should reveal who is responsible for the poor design.
Rescue teams took six weeks to recover all the bodies at the construction site. Four people are still missing.