A Thai court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for 17 individuals linked to the collapse of a 30-story skyscraper in Bangkok, which killed at least 89 people when a powerful earthquake struck the region in March.
The building, under construction to house Thailand’s State Audit Office, crumbled within seconds during the 7.7-magnitude quake that hit neighboring Myanmar on March 28. Seven people remain missing, authorities said.
The tower was the only structure in Bangkok to collapse, raising concerns over potential construction flaws. Deputy Bangkok Police Chief Maj. Gen. Somkuan Puengsap stated that those facing charges—including executives and engineers from seven firms involved in the project—could receive life sentences for violating building codes resulting in death.
Among those sought by police is Premchai Karnasuta, former president of Italian Thai Development Plc., Thailand’s largest construction company. The firm has assured investors it is cooperating with the investigation.
Premchai was previously convicted in 2021 for poaching protected wildlife, receiving a three-year prison sentence after rangers found him with carcasses of endangered species, including a black Indochinese leopard.
Authorities have yet to release their findings on the collapse, though local media reported investigators discovered structural flaws in the building’s lift shaft. Footage from the earthquake showed Bangkok high-rises swaying, with water sloshing from rooftop pools—yet only the State Audit Office tower, a 3-year, $59 million project near the popular Chatuchak Market, completely gave way.
The March 28 quake killed over 3,000 people in Myanmar and injured thousands more, with tremors felt across Thailand and southwestern China. Rescue teams deployed drones, sniffer dogs, and heavy machinery to search for survivors in the Bangkok rubble, where over 400 workers had been present at the time of the collapse.