On Friday afternoon, a massive earthquake hit Southeast Asia. Shockwaves of a 7.7 magnitude epicentre in Myanmar hit Thailand very hard, causing devastation and casualties.
According to reports to date, more than 2000 people have died, with the final toll still not accounted for. Due to the massive quake, several buildings collapsed, in Bangkok, shockingly an under-construction 33-storey high-rise building in Chatuchak weekend market that is a tourist spot collapsed in seconds. Post the collapse, the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, ordered an inquiry into the collapse.
Investigation Ordered
The Deputy Prime Minister has asked to identify the cause in seven days after constituting a committee of experts. The reason for the investigation of this unfinished high-rise building is that even though several high-rise structures were being built in Bangkok, no other projects experienced the same level of devastation.
According to reports due to the building collapse 17 people were confirmed dead, 32 others were injured, and 83 others were unaccounted for, the majority of whom were construction workers. Search and rescue teams are still searching for potential survivors. Thermal imaging drones have found at least 15 persons who might still be alive. So far, eight bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. Hence, the investigation has become imperative for the Thai government. Experts have raised questions about the foundation of the building and pointed out its weak foundation.
China looks to remove documents
Thai authorities have detained four Chinese nationals for unlawfully entering the site of a collapsed high-rise under construction. Police stated that the individuals were attempting to retrieve documents from the site, which is now under investigation due to its connection to a Chinese-backed construction firm.
According to reports, the collapsed structure was part of a project for Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO) and had been under construction for three years at a cost of over two billion baht. It was a joint venture between China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. and Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD).
The government’s panel asked to submit reports in seven days. An expert from China has been dispatched to examine the collapse site. According the local media reports, a team of seasoned engineers from the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, along with trustworthy specialists, were assembled to conduct the inquiry.
“Thailand will quickly find out why the building collapsed. It was just built and should have been designed to withstand earthquakes,” the interior minister said, adding, “The earthquake caused a seismic magnitude of 7.8 but more than 95 per cent of buildings withstood it. The collapse happened only to the State Audit building. This building was newly constructed. So, it should have endured an earthquake.”
According to Anutin, the probe will concentrate on builders, architects, and construction supervisors. The construction consortium’s Chinese and Thai partners would have to share responsibility.
According to a National Thailand report, which quoted Police Major General Nopasin Poolswat, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, revealed that the four Chinese men were caught illegally removing 32 files of documents from the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building without permission, as reported by National Thailand.
Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Major General Nopasin Poolswat, revealed that the four Chinese men were caught illegally removing 32 files of documents from the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building without permission, as reported by National Thailand.
Notably, the governor of Bangkok designated the area where the building collapsed as a disaster zone following the strong earthquake, making it a restricted area that no one was permitted to access without permission. The authorities confiscated the papers and the suspects were temporarily released by the police when the interrogation was over.
However, later on Sunday, Chatuchak District Office officials filed a complaint against five Chinese nationals for visiting the construction site and taking blueprints and other documents from the collapsed SAO building, violating the public statement. The four men’s employer, the fifth person, is also being investigated.
Myanmar earthquake
According to Reuters, the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which was one of the largest to strike Myanmar in a century, rocked the war-torn Southeast Asian country on Friday, killing almost 1,700 people, injuring 3,400, and leaving over 300 others missing as last count on Sunday.
The tremors, which started northwest of Sagaing, devastated buildings and infrastructure in Mandalay, one of Myanmar’s largest cities.
According to Al Jazeera, rescue efforts in Mandalay, where numerous victims are still buried in building wreckage, were hampered by power outages. Furthermore, anti-coup militants in Myanmar announced a two-week cease-fire to assist earthquake victims.
Three days after making an unusual appeal for international aid, junta head Senior General Min Aung Hlaing issued a warning that the death toll would increase, according to state media. Six regions of the nation have declared a state of emergency, and hospitals are overflowing with patients.
In addition to helping and people from Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia, Myanmar’s neighbours China, India, and Thailand have all deployed relief supplies and teams.
According to a statement, the United States promised $2 million in aid “through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations” and announced the deployment of an emergency response team from USAID, which is facing significant budget cuts under the Trump administration.
