New World Collapse In Bangkok

[john b good]

What is exactly wrong here in Thailand?

The events on Wednesday 02 June should never have occurred.

Anyone with an iota of common sense (admittedly not an commodity found in any real abundance in LOS) would know what the likely result would be when carrying out demolition works as were being undertaken in the described manner.

It wasn't an "accident" as an accident is an unplanned and unforeseen event.

What are the views of forum members??

PUBLIC SAFETY

New World collapses

Demolition work 'substandard' : Waste dumped onto single floor : Workers recount their fears

Manop Thip-osot

Rescuers remove debris in a search for survivors on the ground floor of New World department store, where substandard demolition work led to several floors colllapsing early yesterday. - Chanat Kayanyu

The eighth floor of the 11-storey New World department store in Bang Lamphu collapsed yesterday due to sub-standard demolition work, causing debris to plunge through the building. Sevenpeople were injured during the incident, two seriously.

"The collapse was caused by substandard demolition," assistant director of Phra Nakhon district office Suwaporn Chirmsan said.

Mr Suwaporn said initial investigations had found that Sunisa Construction and Supply Co Ltd, a contractor hired to carry out demolition work, had dumped scrap metal, rubble and other waste materials from demolition work on the 9th, 10th and 11th floors onto the 8th floor. The floor eventually gave way, causing debris to plunge through the 7th and 6th floors to the ground floor. The building's lower floors (1-4) had remained open during the demolition work, while the remainder had been closed. Mr Suwaporn said the building and its beams had not been designed to withstand such a weight, adding that the accident could have been prevented had scrap materials been systematically removed in a safe and proper manner. Sapoon Prombut, 47, a demolition worker, said he and 20 other workers were on the eighth floor preparing to get rid of some rubble when they heard a thunderous sound and felt the building shake.

Mr Sapoon said he and his co-workers looked around to see what was happening, then "ran for their lives" as it became apparent the floor was collapsing. Waraporn Raenlee, 49, owner of a clothing shop on the first floor of the building, said she was getting her hair done in the nearby Gay Cuts hair salon when she felt a jolt and saw dust falling from the ceiling.

Ms Waraporn said she was not frightened because this was not unusual. About half an hour later, she heard heavy objects falling in the building's upper floor, she said. When the building shook and dust filled the air, she fled with several hairdressers from Gay Cuts salon. Shortly after, the upper storeys began caving in, she said.

Boonrerm Thongmai, 29, broke her arms and legs and fractured her skull, while Sadanan Chanthong, 28, suffered serious abdominal injuries. Both are being treated at Vajira Hospital.

City clerk Khunying Nathanon Thavisin said the operator of New World, Khaew Fah Shopping Arcade, had illegally added seven floors to its four-storey building without the permission of city hall.

City hall took the department store to court in 1994 and won. However, the store defied the 1994 Supreme Court order that it demolish the floors that were illegally added to the original structure, she said.

The city administration had been seeking permission through the courts to demolish the floors with the financial obligation resting with the owners of New World department store, Khunying Nathanon said.

She said that while the court case was pending, the store had hired Sunisa Construction and Supply Co Ltd to begin demolishing upper floors. Nawin Noengtui was named as supervising engineer on the project, Khunying Nathanon said.

[Up2U]

The first fault lies with the idiots who own the building - putting another building on top of the one they had designed in the first place. This does not work, unless you have additional foundations, columns, beams to support the additional load. And in many parts of BKK the ground conditions are unsuitable.

Next the local authority should not only have gone to court, but ordered the building closed as being unsafe.

Thirdly, the supervising engineer of the demolition project should have been in close contact with the day-to-day work on site. Regrettably this is not often the case in Thailand (or in many other countries).

A chapter of errors.