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Thai rescue teams work to rescue and recover those trapped in the rubble of a collapsed construction building in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 31, 2025. Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was suspended from office on Tuesday, said on June 30 that deficiencies in design and construction methods caused the collapse of a partially built building in Bangkok in March, after an earthquake struck hundreds of miles away. The collapse killed at least 89 construction workers, most of them from Myanmar and Cambodia.
The 30-story building, which was set to house the Thai government’s State Audit Office (SAO), was the only one in Thailand to collapse following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake centered about 800 miles away in central Myanmar, also known as Burma.
“The conclusion, as reported by the investigative committee—comprising the Department of Public Works, Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang—was based on localized mathematical modeling,” Paetongtarn said.
“They found that the root cause lay in the design and construction methods, especially construction techniques such as the elevator shaft wall, which failed to meet engineering guidelines and standards. ”
Paetongtarn said that the investigation concluded that the steel and concrete used met the required standards.
“The fault was solely in the construction techniques used in this project,” she added.
As Thailand marked 90 days since the tragedy, Paetongtarn spoke to reporters after a meeting with representatives of the four institutions tasked with investigating the building’s collapse.
She told reporters gathered outside the meeting that the final investigation report would be ready within two weeks and submitted to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and Royal Thai Police, who will determine who will face legal proceedings, local media reported.
“Those found responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she wrote on social media platform X. “Furthermore, enforcement of building regulations will be strictly tightened to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.”
Paetongtarn said investigators will determine who is responsible.
“From the reports received, it’s clear that many aspects of the construction did not comply with legal standards—both in terms of design and execution,” she told reporters. “Simulations confirmed that had the legal standards been followed, the building would have been more structurally sound and better able to withstand the tremor.”
The building was a $63 million joint venture between leading Thai construction company Italian–Thai Development Co. (ITD) and China Railway No. 10 Bureau Group Co.
Paetongtarn added that while there were concerns after reports that some construction materials were substandard, investigators concluded that the collapse was caused by how the materials were used. Weaknesses were found in critical parts of the building meant to absorb stress, such as the lift shafts and stairwell walls.
“The materials themselves were not the issue. But in this particular project, the steel was cut down in size and used in a way that did not comply with regulations—making it effectively illegal,” she said. “I was worried at first that poor-quality materials were being used across other projects, but that turned out not to be the case. The problem was confined to this project.”
On June 20, the director-general of the DSI, Pol. Maj. Yuthana Paedham, submitted more than 17,500 documents on alleged bid-rigging for the building’s construction to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further investigation, Thai newspaper The Nation reported.
Named in the investigatory documents are 76 individuals, 70 of whom are government officials. Four high-ranking officials from the SAO are among those accused of negligence and misconduct in office. Wu Binglin, a Chinese executive from China Railway No. 10, was among six individuals charged with violating Thailand’s Foreign Business Act, The Nation reported.
Paetongtarn was suspended from office on Tuesday after 36 senators filed a petition seeking her removal over a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
