17 wanted over deadly Bangkok tower collapse – DW – 05/16/2025

A court in Thailand issued arrest warrants on Thrusday for 17 people in connection with the deadly collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper.

The 30-story tower, which was under construction and intended to house the State Audit Office, was reduced to rubble in seconds when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Thailand and neighboring Myanmar on March 28.

Authorities say they have recovered 89 bodies from the rubble of the collapsed tower. Seven people are still missing.

The tower was the only building in Bangkok that collapsed. The suddenness and speed of its collapse has raised questions about the quality of its construction.

Deputy Bangkok Police Chief Police Major General Somkuan Puengsap said the charges included violations of building codes that resulted in death and carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the building collapse and have not yet released their findings.

Who was charged?

The police said those charged include executives and engineers from seven companies involved in designing, constructing, and supervising the building of the collapsed tower.

Of the 17 individuals sought by police, only one has been identified: Premchai Karnasuta, the former president of Italian Thai Development Plc., Thailand’s largest construction company.

Italian Thai Development has held meetings with investors and stated that the company is cooperating with the investigation.

Premchai was convicted and sentenced to more than three years in prison for poaching protected species in 2021.

Rangers caught him at a jungle campsite in a wildlife sanctuary with carcasses of protected animals, including a black Indochinese leopard.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery