Bangkok
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar caused huge havoc in Thailand as well. A 33 -storeyed building in the capital Bangkok became grounded in a few seconds, causing a huge gust of dust and debris and dozens of laborers were buried under it. The investigation of this accident has started. It is being told that there is a Chinese company to build the building. This was the only building in the skyscrapers of Bangkok, which collapsed in the earthquake. This raises serious questions on its structural strength. According to media, 17 people have been confirmed in Bangkok so far, 32 people have been injured and 83 laborers are still missing. Rescue teams are looking for people trapped in the rubble amidst heavy heat. There is a sign of at least 15 people being alive through thermal imaging drones. So far 8 bodies have been removed.
Why did this building fall? Chinese company in the dock
The building was at the State Audit Office of Thailand and was being built at a cost of two billion Baht (45 million pounds). The project was jointly formed jointly by Thailand-based company ‘Italian-Thai Development PLC (ITD)’ and China’s ‘China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd’. China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd is actually a subsidiary of Chinese government company ‘China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group’, which has a 49% stake in this project.
Questions raised on Chinese company earlier
The company was established in 2018 and works on large infrastructure projects like railway, office building and public roads. But the recent financial reports showed that the company was running in huge losses. In 2023, it lost 199.66 million BAHT, while its revenue income was 206.25 million BAHT and the expenditure reached 354.95 million Baht.
Order of investigation, report in 7 days
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charanviirakul has ordered a high -level inquiry into the incident. A committee of experts has been asked to submit a report within 7 days. Now the question is arising whether there was any disturbance in the design and construction of this building? Or did the Chinese company use substandard construction materials? Significantly, the earthquake caused havoc in Myanmar. So far more than 1600 people have died and thousands of people are injured.