Seventeen Arrest Warrants Issued Following Bangkok Skyscraper Collapse

A near-fatal earthquake in March leads to serious repercussions for those responsible for construction oversight.

A court in Thailand has issued 17 arrest warrants for individuals associated with the development of a skyscraper that collapsed during a powerful earthquake in March. The 30-storey structure, intended to house the State Audit Office, crumbled as Bangkok experienced tremors from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake originating in nearby Myanmar. Recovery efforts have so far uncovered 89 bodies from the debris, while seven individuals remain missing.

Investigating officers have attributed the warrants to those responsible for the design, construction, and supervision of the ill-fated tower. Among those named is businessman Premchai Karnasuta, who previously served as president of Italian-Thai Development PLC, a notable construction firm in the region. Recent investigations revealed structural weaknesses within the building's lift shaft, although authorities have not yet disclosed a comprehensive report on the disaster's cause.

Video footage captured during the earthquake depicted high-rises in Bangkok swaying, with water cascading from rooftops onto busy streets below as a result of the severe tremors. While most buildings in the Thai capital sustained minimal damage, the State Audit Office—a blue glass and steel edifice—suffered catastrophic failure, reduced to ruins after three years of construction and an expenditure exceeding two billion Thai baht ($59 million; £45 million). At the time of the collapse, over 400 workers were on site, prompting the deployment of drones, sniffer dogs, cranes, and excavators for rescue efforts.

The earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28 resulted in over 3,000 fatalities and more than 4,500 injuries, with tremors felt in Thailand and southwestern China as well.