Government to obtain material slabs for screening amid questions about standards
PUBLISHED: 5 Apr 2025 at 15: 06
Two government organizations have collected samples of different styles of metal plates from the page of the collapsed , State Audit Office building in Bangkok and sent them for laboratory tests to check whether they met requirements.
Soldiers from the Northern Police Forensic Science Division and representatives from the Department of Public Works and Town Planning simultaneously collected random specimens from Zones A, B, C and D at the page in Chatuchak area. They have been sent to the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand for laboratory testing, said Pol Maj Gen Vathee Assawuttamangkul, captain of the officers criminal system.
The under-construction 30-storey tower was the only high-rise in Bangkok to decline after the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28.
The Institute earlier conducted assessments on tests of two different sizes of metal plates collected from the page, and said they were not up to standard.
The material in problem was traced to a Chinese-owned shop in Rayong that had been shuttered since January for another violations, officials said.
The two companies plan to enter the site again to obtain samples of material blocks or further investigation. For the time being, samples of concrete debris could not be collected because workers are still digging at the site where dozens of people were trapped, said Pol Maj Gen Vathee.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra acknowledged that substandard steel might have been used in the construction of the building. The Ministry of Industry is also inspecting various steel samples, she said.
With hope fading that any of the 79 people believed trapped in the rubble might be found alive, authorities on Friday decided to bring in heavy equipment to start clearing the debris more quickly.
Earlier, there had been concerns about the stability of the site and possible impact from vibrations caused by machinery, which might endanger searchers and those trapped.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt announced the decision after rescue workers were unable to reach areas where they believed survivors might be found due to heavy piles of debris obstructing their progress.
He said that using heavy machinery would also facilitate evidence-gathering for ongoing investigations.
Fifteen people — 8 men and 7 women — have been confirmed dead from the collapse so far, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported on Saturday. Nine survivors have been rescued and 79 people are still trapped.