BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities were investigating on Monday why an office tower under construction in Bangkok collapsed during an earthquake on Friday that otherwise caused limited damage in the capital.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the site while heavy equipment was removing debris from the 30-story building in hopes of finding survivors among the 78 people who are still missing.
Sittipunt stated that the most urgent thing is to first focus on finding those who can be saved. “Even one life saved is worth all the effort, so I believe we should move forward,” he said.
However, in the long term, it is important to ensure the safety of buildings in the city, where millions of people live and work in thousands of tall buildings. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, centered more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) away, killed more than 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in Thailand, most of them at a construction site in Bangkok near the popular Chatuchak Market.
Why did a building collapse in Bangkok?
“The important thing in the long and medium term is to find the root cause in order to learn some lessons and improve construction regulations,” he commented. “In the end, we will have some results that will improve safety in Bangkok.”
Shares of the real estate developer in charge of the project, Italian Thai Development, fell 27% on Monday as questions arose about the design of the high-rise building, the implementation of safety codes in construction, and the Chinese state contractor building the structure, the State Audit Office building.
The Minister of Interior, Anutin Charnvirakul, whose family owns one of the largest construction conglomerates in Thailand, told reporters that he ordered the creation of an investigation committee and requested to be informed of the results within seven days.
He pointed out three possible factors: the designer, the inspectors, or the builders.
“Definitely we will find the true reasons why this building collapsed, because everything is scientific,” Anutin stated.
Although not located near a geological fault, Bangkok is built on relatively unstable alluvial soil, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The city has long been sinking under the weight of its many buildings, leading authorities to restrict the use of groundwater to help reduce subsidence.
The earthquake in Myanmar on Friday gave the city an unusually long and strong shake, causing the water from rooftop pools to fall down skyscrapers, light trains to sway on their tracks, and millions of people to flee their homes and apartment buildings. Many people waited for hours to see if their homes and offices were safe.
The other damages in the city seemed to be superficial, such as fallen ceiling panels, fixtures, and cracked plaster.