Bangkok Tower Collapse Linked to Substandard Steel from Shuttered Factory
The contractors of the under-construction office tower that collapsed in Bangkok during last Friday's earthquake reportedly used substandard steel bars produced by a factory that had been shut down by authorities, officials have revealed.
Samples of two different sizes of steel bars collected from the site of the State Audit Office building failed critical tests conducted by the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand. The bars did not meet required standards for mass, chemical composition, and stress resistance, raising concerns about the structural integrity of the materials used in the project.
Thitipas Choddaechachainun, head of a working group at the Ministry of Industry, stated that the steel was manufactured by a company whose factory had been closed since December due to prior violations. However, he did not disclose the name of the business.
Images released by the ministry and circulated in local media revealed that the steel bars bore the brand name 'Sky,' produced by Xin Ke Yuan Steel Co. The company operated a factory in Rayong province, which was shuttered in December following a gas tank leak incident. Authorities had seized more than 2,400 tonnes of steel from the facility at the time of closure.
The 30-storey office tower was the only building in the Thai capital to collapse after the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday. Investigations are ongoing to determine further liability and potential legal actions against those responsible for using the substandard materials.
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