Royal Plaza Hotel collapse: Thai media remembers event 25 years on

[webfact]

Royal Plaza Hotel collapse: Thai media remembers event 25 years on

 

 

It is slightly over twenty five years since a watershed moment in Thai construction history and the life of Thailand, reported Thai Rath this week. 

 

The collapse of the Royal Plaza Hotel in Nakorn Ratchasima, the gateway to Thailand's north east. 

 

The media produced a dramatic video of the event and its aftermath. 

 

The fateful day was Friday 13th 1993. 

 

Hundreds of people were inside the building when it fell in on itself at 10.30 am.

 

A total of 137 people lost their lives. Some 227 were injured. A woman was found 72 hours after the collapse - but her leg had to be cut off to get her out. 

 

Then Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai called it a wake up call for the Thai construction industry and the state.

 

The building was built as a three story structure with 62 rooms in 1983.

 

In 1990 three stories were added adding an extra 72 rooms. A further nine rooms were added after that. 

 

Police charged engineers, the architect, state officials and hotel executives with negligence causing death. 

 

They blamed the extra floors, the weight of a water tank and air-conditioners and adaptions to walls. 

 

In 2000 Bampen Panratissara, the architect and engineer, was sent to prison for 37 years. He was the only one convicted, according to Wikipedia.

 

Compensation to the tune of 152 million baht was ordered to be paid to the victims. 

 

The hotel executives were all let off because they had no knowledge of construction, said Thai Rath.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-09-26

 

[JLCrab]

From Wikipedia:

"The Royal Plaza Hotel, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, was hosting two conference meetings at the moment when the collapse occurred. At the time of the collapse, there were 379 people in the building. Of these, 117 were government officials from the Education Ministry, who were attending a seminar in Benchamas Room on the second floor ..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_of_the_Royal_Plaza_Hotel

I was told by someone who was scheduled to be at that meeting but then could not attend that the seminar was on education opportunities for the blind and persons with other disabilities which was devastating to that community.

[Fallangpakwan]

Yes, I often think about it, having spent a night in there back around 1985

[MaxYakov]

"Police charged engineers, the architect, state officials and hotel executives with negligence causing death."

 

There were 137 fatalities and only the single engineer/architect went to prison, eh?

 

Nobody questioned doubling the number of floors of a three-story building? How much cost was minimized by not ensuring the structure could take the load? What was the quality of the original construction and so on and so forth? Something doesn't smell right w/r this catastrophe. What other buildings are in danger of collapse due to ignorant/unprofessional engineering and construction one wonders?

[mikebell]

Central Bang Na experienced an earth tremor about 13 years ago and the building was evacuated.  Outside, the milling crowd watched as a security officer went up to the wall and pushed against it with all his might.  He turned back to the watching throng, grinned and said, 'OK you can go in now.'  And they did!

[Thian]

16 hours ago, webfact said:

In 2000 Bampen Panratissara, the architect and engineer, was sent to prison for 37 years.

 

So is he still in jail today?

[Sir Dude]

I believe the piece of land the hotel was on is still vacant today as no-one will buy it...due to too many ghosts, I hear.

[DrTuner]

Typical Thai construction then. Pretty much every house around here is growing some sort of cancer from it's sides. Gotta "extend".

[happy chappie]

When i was at world superbike in buriram the whole of the concrete seated grandstand rumbled when the fans were leaving between races.im a builder of 40yrs and never felt the floors move like that.next month at moto gp I'll be sat out on the grass thanks.

[freebyrd]

I was in there nearly every night for 6 weeks in 1988, it had the best massage parlour I've ever seen in Thailand. I often pondered after the disaster as to what it would have been like to die naked in the bath with a Thai beauty for company ????.

Edited September 27, 2018 by freebyrd

[freebyrd]

8 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

I believe the piece of land the hotel was on is still vacant today as no-one will buy it...due to too many ghosts, I hear.

I had a home in Korat for many years. There were a few attempts over the years to start other businesses on the land but superstition kept the public away.

[LomSak27]

Does anyone remember the Hotel in Khon Kaen that collapsed ... 1990?" (90/91). nothing like the Khorat collapse but a precursor so to speak..

 

i believe  18 people died in that one, but can't remember the name. Premature senility is setting in. 

Edited September 27, 2018 by LomSak27

[Basil B]

21 hours ago, JLCrab said:

The Royal Plaza Hotel, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, was hosting two conference meetings at the moment when the collapse occurred. At the time of the collapse, there were 379 people in the building. Of these, 117 were government officials from the Education Ministry, who were attending a seminar in Benchamas Room on the second floor ..."

Well I blame those from the Education Ministry, If the Architect could not add up then must be their fault... 

[CGW]

Getting old - remember this well!

Also remember the fire at the Royal in Jomtien in 1997 that killed over 100 people, they were never supposed to open again due to weakened structure, still open to this day, think the galley boy was sent to jail for his part and no one else!

 

Wiki doesn't say anything about the huge water tanks that were added on the roof of the Roal Plaza hotel in Korat, these were also part! of the problem as well as the addition of extra floors.

Edited September 27, 2018 by CGW

[mike324]

 

On 9/26/2018 at 2:29 PM, webfact said:

The hotel executives were all let off because they had no knowledge of construction, said Thai Rath.

 

Wonder who order the construction? hahaha