Thai watchdog had flagged concerns on building that collapsed in earthquake

BANGKOK: An anti-corruption watchdog had flagged to authorities irregularities it found in the construction of a Bangkok skyscraper before it collapsed in an earthquake last week, killing at least 12 people, the head of the group told Reuters.

Initial tests of materials gathered at the site, meanwhile, indicated the presence of substandard steel among the wreckage of the 30-storey structure, according to industry ministry officials, who added that further analysis was required.

Rescuers were continuing search and rescue efforts on Monday (Mar 31) for around 75 people feared still trapped under the rubble of the unfinished tower, which was being built for Thailand’s State Audit Office by a Chinese company and a Thai construction firm.

The government has announced an investigation into the cause of the collapse of the skyscraper, the only Bangkok building to completely crumble when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck central Myanmar on Friday and rattled neighbouring countries.

Mana Nimitmongkol, president of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, told Reuters on Sunday it had informed the audit office about its concerns regarding the project. The government had threatened to cancel the project in January due to delays, he said.

The audit office, which has said that it will investigate the cause of the building collapse, did not answer e-mailed questions from Reuters, including whether it had considered cancelling the contract.

Construction of the building began in 2020 and is being carried out by a joint venture between Italian Thai Development PCL and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd, a local unit of China’s state-owned China Railway Group.

Italian Thai Development and China Railway Group did not immediately comment on either the watchdog’s comments or the industry ministry’s steel tests when contacted by Reuters.

The tower was originally slated for completion by 2026 but was behind schedule. The deputy auditor general, Sutthipong Boonnithi, told reporters on Saturday that construction was only “30 per cent completed” before it collapsed.

Site visits to the project during construction by the anti-corruption group had raised concerns about delays, worker shortages and possible corner-cutting, Mana said, whose organisation scrutinises some 170 government projects around Thailand.

“Sometimes the number of workers on site were much fewer than there should be, causing delays,” he said. “Potentially there was a rush to complete the project towards the end, which could cause a drop in the standard of work.”

Share prices of ITD closed 27 per cent lower on Monday against a benchmark drop of 1.48 per cent.