Korat: Education department remembers teachers who lost their lives in Royal Plaza Hotel collapse

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Education department officials were making merit at a temple in Nakorn Ratchasima yesterday in remembrance of many teachers and education personnel who were killed in a hotel collapse in the north eastern Thai city 26 years ago. 

 

A total of 137 people were killed and 227 were injured when the Royal Plaza Hotel collapsed on August 13th 1993. 

 

A seminar attended by more than 100 Education Ministry officials was going on at the time.

 

Others from the Shell company were in the building along with more than 100 hotel staff.

 

In what has been described as one of Thailand's worst man made disasters the six story building collapsed in ten seconds into a pile of rubble.

 

Fifteen officials were charged but only one engineer - Bampen Panratissara - was found guilty in 2003 and sentenced to 37 years. 

 

Yesterday rites to make merit for the dead were held at Wat Phra Narai Maharat Worawiharn, reported Sanook. 

 

Sources: Sanook, Wikipedia

 

 

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

 

The main reason for the collapse was the addition of floors without properly considering the strength of the structure and soil stability. The original permit, issued in 1983, was for a three-storey building with one underground floor and later during 1985 local authorities approved conversion of the building to a hotel but construction permission was not officially sought for the three additional floors until 1990. There were many errors including not strengthening foundations and columns, and not assessing the strength of the existing columns which later culminated in one of the worst building tragedies of Thailand.[1]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

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

 

The main reason for the collapse was the addition of floors without properly considering the strength of the structure and soil stability. The original permit, issued in 1983, was for a three-storey building with one underground floor and later during 1985 local authorities approved conversion of the building to a hotel but construction permission was not officially sought for the three additional floors until 1990. There were many errors including not strengthening foundations and columns, and not assessing the strength of the existing columns which later culminated in one of the worst building tragedies of Thailand.[1]

In addition to the above mentioned, a large water storage tank was installed upstairs, but probably the worst nail was hammered into the coffin when a structural (load bearing) column was removed in front of the reception area because it was "in the way" !

And still the addition of more floors to a building without permission/re-calculation is common and widespread practice...