
Officials end search at Bangkok skyscraper that collapsed after quake
The magnitude-7.7 quake on 28 March had its epicentre in Myanmar, more than 1,200 kilometres away, and killed at least 96 people in Bangkok, mostly at the site of the building collapse.
Eighty-nine bodies have been retrieved from the rubble while seven people remain unaccounted for at the site, officials said.
They said they would continue to test hundreds of pieces of human remains to identify those still missing.
The collapse sparked questions about the enforcement of construction safety regulations and corruption.
The high-rise building, meant to be the new office for the State Audit Office, was the only building that suffered a total collapse that day.
Police said on Tuesday they are still investigating and will continue to collect evidence from the collapse site until the end of this month.
Authorities are probing several companies and individuals for any wrongdoing in relation to the collapse, including the state-run Chinese contractor, China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group.
The investigation has led to the arrest of its Chinese executive in Thailand, identified as Zhang, and three Thai shareholders on suspicion of operating the business through the use of nominees.
Foreigners can operate a business in Thailand but it must be a joint venture with a Thai partner and they cannot own more than 49% to protect local competitiveness.
Another Thai-Chinese company, Xin Ke Yaun Steel, also came under scrutiny over the quality of the steel rods provided for the building.
Industry Minister Akanat Promphan said two types of steel rods found at the collapse site did not pass safety standards and that Xin Ke Yuan supplied both.
The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
China shuts down a major lithium mine, triggering a surge in prices
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world's largest battery manufacturer, confirmed on Monday, August 11, that it had shut down its mine in Yichun, southeastern China, as it seeks to renew an expired operating license. This mine is far from insignificant: It accounts for around 6% of global production. Lithium prices soared 8% at the close, while the share prices of international mining companies also surged. The fate of this mine had been closely monitored for several weeks due to speculation that Chinese authorities would not renew its license. In 2024, CATL controlled between 35% and 40% of the global market for batteries used in electric vehicles, supplying most Chinese automakers and many foreign manufacturers such as Tesla, Toyota and BMW. Lithium is not a rare earth element, but it is a strategic, very light metal, notably used in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and, crucially, electric vehicles. In just a few years, it has become a key metal in the global race toward the energy transition.


Fashion Network
4 hours ago
- Fashion Network
SMCP announces forced return of illegally transferred 15.5% stake
The 15.5% stake in SMCP (Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Fursac) that had been improperly transferred to a trust in the British Virgin Islands by its Chinese shareholder, who defaulted in 2021, has now been returned to the Luxembourg holding company that held it, management said on Monday. "The return of this stake clarifies the shareholding situation of SMCP, which remains focused on implementing its profitable growth strategy based on the desirability of its brands, its operational agility, and its efforts to control costs," the French high-end, listed textile group said in a statement. In 2017, SMCP's majority shareholder at the time of its IPO was a Chinese conglomerate, Shandong Ruyi, via a Luxembourg-registered investment vehicle, European TopSoho (ETS). However, the heavily indebted ETS, which held a 53% stake, defaulted and, in 2021, lost most of the capital to its creditors within the GLAS entity. GLAS thus recovered 29% of the capital, leaving 8% to ETS. But European TopSoho had previously sold a stake of around 16% to Chenran Qiu, the daughter of Shandong Ruyi's founder, held in the Dynamic Treasure Group trust in the British Virgin Islands. This stake was sold for one euro "even though (its) market value was in excess of 80 million euros at the time," as Oddo analysts pointed out in a note in July 2024. For several years, GLAS had been seeking to regain access to this part of the capital, and judging the sale procedure to be irregular, it took legal action and obtained a favourable ruling from the British courts (DTC being a company incorporated under British law) in 2024, ordering the repatriation of the ETS shares to Luxembourg. However, a source close to the case told AFP that the repatriated shares were held in a bank account in Singapore, which led to the involvement of the Asian city-state's judiciary. SMCP announced on Monday that "following the decision of the Singapore High Court on July 4, 2025, the 15.5% stake in SMCP that had been sold in 2021 to Dynamic Treasure Group was returned to European Topsoho on August 11, 2025," paving the way for a capital clarification of the group. This article is an automatic translation. Click here to read the original article.


Fashion Network
4 hours ago
- Fashion Network
SMCP announces forced return of illegally transferred 15.5% stake
The 15.5% stake in SMCP (Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Fursac) that had been improperly transferred to a trust in the British Virgin Islands by its Chinese shareholder, who defaulted in 2021, has now been returned to the Luxembourg holding company that held it, management said on Monday. "The return of this stake clarifies the shareholding situation of SMCP, which remains focused on implementing its profitable growth strategy based on the desirability of its brands, its operational agility, and its efforts to control costs," the French high-end, listed textile group said in a statement. In 2017, SMCP's majority shareholder at the time of its IPO was a Chinese conglomerate, Shandong Ruyi, via a Luxembourg-registered investment vehicle, European TopSoho (ETS). However, the heavily indebted ETS, which held a 53% stake, defaulted and, in 2021, lost most of the capital to its creditors within the GLAS entity. GLAS thus recovered 29% of the capital, leaving 8% to ETS. But European TopSoho had previously sold a stake of around 16% to Chenran Qiu, the daughter of Shandong Ruyi's founder, held in the Dynamic Treasure Group trust in the British Virgin Islands. This stake was sold for one euro "even though (its) market value was in excess of 80 million euros at the time," as Oddo analysts pointed out in a note in July 2024. For several years, GLAS had been seeking to regain access to this part of the capital, and judging the sale procedure to be irregular, it took legal action and obtained a favourable ruling from the British courts (DTC being a company incorporated under British law) in 2024, ordering the repatriation of the ETS shares to Luxembourg. However, a source close to the case told AFP that the repatriated shares were held in a bank account in Singapore, which led to the involvement of the Asian city-state's judiciary. SMCP announced on Monday that "following the decision of the Singapore High Court on July 4, 2025, the 15.5% stake in SMCP that had been sold in 2021 to Dynamic Treasure Group was returned to European Topsoho on August 11, 2025," paving the way for a capital clarification of the group.