The impact of the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was also seen in Thailand. With this earthquake of 7.7 on the Richter scale, the 33 -storeyed building in Bangkok became grounded in a few seconds. Now the government of Thailand has started an investigation against a China -backed construction company. After the fall of this skyscraper, 17 people have been injured and 32 others were injured due to the fall under the rubble. Apart from this, 83 laborers are said to be missing so far in the accident.
Questions raised on the construction of the building
Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is covered with many such tall buildings but no other building was damaged during the earthquake. Due to the collapse of the building, questions are being raised about its construction. The commission was commissioned by the State Audit Office (SAO) of Thailand for three years and the cost of building the building was more than two billion (45 million pounds).
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Meanwhile, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnavirakul, who visited the scene a day after the building collapsed, said the government would start an immediate investigation to better understand the disaster. Telegraph quoted Charnavirakul as saying, “I am appointing an inquiry committee, I have given him seven days time to report it and what is the reason for the building to fall.”
Documents stolen from building
Four Chinese citizens have also been arrested for stealing 32 documents from the grounded building. The Governor of Bangkok has declared this place a disaster sector and has allowed only authorized personnel to go there. According to The Telegraph, SAO Building was being prepared through a joint ventures between Italian-Tail Development PLC (ITD) and China Railway No. 10 (Thailand) Limited, which is a subsidiary of the China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group. The Chinese firm has a 49 percent stake, which is maximum foreign ownership under Thai law.
According to the report, the China Railway No. 10 (Thailand) established in 2018 was appointed as a contractor for major infrastructure projects including office building, railway and public roads. In 2023, the company recorded a loss of 199.66 million, which included 206.25 million revenue revenue and 354.95 million total expenses. Please tell that Thailand’s official currency is Thai Baht (THB).
What compromise with standards
According to the news agency Reuters, this tower was originally targeted to complete in 2026, but it was lagging behind its scheduled time. Deputy Auditor General Sutipong Bunnithi has revealed that only 30 percent of its construction work was completed before its collapse. Chairman of Thailand’s anti -corruption organization, Mana Nimitmongkol, said that his organization had expressed concern over construction, citing delays, lack of workers during site inspection, and possible cost cuts.
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He said that many times the number of workers working on the site was much less than necessary, which was delayed in construction. Nimitmongkol said that it may have been emphasized at the last moment to complete the project, which suspects an agreement with construction standards. He also stated that the delay in construction was so serious that the audit office had considered abolishing the agreement with both construction companies in January itself.
Two thousand people died in Myanmar
The earthquake has been the biggest impact in Myanmar, where the death toll has increased to more than two thousand, while four thousand people have been injured. Starting from the north-west of Sagiing, the earthquake destroyed buildings in Mandalay, one of the largest cities in the country and has caused heavy damage to the infrastructure. Emergency has been declared in six regions of the country and the hospitals are full of injured.
India has sent relief materials, rescue teams and medical equipment to Myanmar to help people affected by earthquakes. New Delhi has sent relief materials, medicines, an 80-member rescue team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Myanmar from three C-130J and two C-17 globalmaster aircraft.