A 33-storey high-rise collapsed in Thailand’s Bangkok after a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar and tremors were felt across the South Asian region on Friday afternoon, with aftershocks striking the region multiple times.
The unfinished building was reduced to rubble in a few seconds, and it was a race against time to search for survivors. However, the Bangkok police told the media that “Most of the victims are probably dead and there’s less than one per cent chance of finding any survivors.”
The Bangkok cops added that they “have not pulled out anyone alive so far, despite having all the necessary equipment for a rescue operation, and it would take at least two months to clear the wreckage.”
According to news agency AFP, as of Sunday, 17 deaths have been confirmed, with 32 injured and 83 still unaccounted for – most of them construction workers from the site of the collapsed building.
Thai emergency first responders pull a person from the rubble, following the collapse of a building during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which rocked Bangkok. pic.twitter.com/hvmvJphs2p
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 29, 2025
The China Connection:
A China connection has also surfaced in the Bangkok skyscraper, which belonged to Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO). It had been under construction for three years at a reported cost of over two billion baht (45 million pounds).
The Telegraph in the UK reported that the SAO building was a joint venture between the Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. The latter is a subsidiary of China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group Company, which holds a 49 per cent stake – the maximum foreign ownership allowed under Thai law.
The Chinese-backed firm is now under probe. The Bangkok police told the media, they are “aware that the Chinese company was constructing the building, but they can’t take shortcuts to blame China.”
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