Earthquake Rocks Bangkok: Building Collapses with 40 people inside

[RUSirius]

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:54 AM, seajae said:

the collapsed building was being done by the govt using a chinese construction company with chinese materials, explains a lot.

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Someone here on the forum also identified Ital Thai. I thought it bankrupt?

[Aussie999]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:03 AM, Chris BKK said:

I understand that concrete takes up to 28 days to gain full strength, so if adding floors to quickly then the concrete is not strong enough to support above floors. Usual cost cutting and shody workmanship by engineers, Was this a Chinese construction company. Typical dodgy practises

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Did you notice how narrow the support pillars are... oops, were.

[RUSirius]

I read in Post or Nation that miraculously nearly 200 buildings already cleared free of structural damage in BKK 😳😅

 

Wife's friends reporting to her serious issues with their office buildings. My wife skyscraper?? It's old, so I think ok.

 

Wife's friend in praram9 area lux condo ripped asunder. May have structural damage. Interior and hallway damaged.

 

 

[superal]

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:26 AM, This Guy said:

Yeah, like WTC, 3 buildings collapsed because of their superior construction eh?
This one which collapsed in BKK was not completed and I'd hazard a guess that the support walls and even the main columns were not yet fully cured on the upper levels.
Without the walls it could cave like a house of cards. But hey, you just go on with your Thai bashing.

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Correct . If internal walls not built and no window casings = no bracing 

[RUSirius]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:05 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

I'd be more worried about the actual escalator plates, last time I walked in don muang (where someone lost her foot) those plates still felt loose as fk. Just take the stairs.

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You obviously dont live on the line. Dome stations have hundreds of steps. Besides, if it works it works. Yeah, one person has accident so stop using modern, hi quality escalators lol.

 

DMK is red line. Perhaps entirely different manufacturer as well. Your paranoia is misplaced

[Ralf001]

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:54 AM, seajae said:

the collapsed building was being done by the govt using a chinese construction company

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Not 100% accurate, The construction was carried out by the ITD-CREC joint venture.

 

CREC  - China Railway No. 10 Group Co., Ltd.

ITD  - Italian-Thai Development Public Co., Ltd.

 

 

[RUSirius]

Anyone else have experience with quakes? I went thru four in California as a kid. Two big, two small. One in Sumatra another in Myanmar - both small.

 

The whole thing was very serious event, but I wasn't panicked. I got out as fast as I could. I feel sorry for the Thais. They were utterly panicked - it was a huge quake. My wife, friends still chit chatting about it

[Denim]

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:54 AM, seajae said:

the collapsed building was being done by the govt using a chinese construction company with chinese materials, explains a lot.

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What does it explain ?

 

 

[Ralf001]

  On 3/29/2025 at 2:26 AM, This Guy said:

This one which collapsed in BKK was not completed and I'd hazard a guess that the support walls and even the main columns were not yet fully cured on the upper levels.
Without the walls it could cave like a house of cards. But hey, you just go on with your Thai bashing.

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Its was 30% complete.

[RUSirius]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:19 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

Not 100% accurate, The construction was carried out by the ITD-CREC joint venture.

 

CREC  - China Railway No. 10 Group Co., Ltd.

ITD  - Italian-Thai Development Public Co., Ltd.

 

 

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I thought ital Thai bankrupt ? Guess not. Thanks

[Lazybones]

Live in Phetchabun, half way to CM from Bangkok. My 2 story house swayed back and forth for about 1 min. No damage. Quite frightening. 32 6 metre piles onto bedrock,2 per column. Could have surfed on my fish pond. Took me back to my days in Wellington NZ

[Aussie999]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:15 AM, superal said:

Correct . If internal walls not built and no window casings = no bracing 

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I thought an investigation found internal iron core was weakened by the heat, causing the collapse.

[RUSirius]

Does anyone know anything about the temples in Bagan, Myanmar? I can't find any recent photos other than some stupas. Maybe take some time. I bet they are finished. After the last big one and repair it was said one more big one and they're done.

[Ralf001]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:21 AM, RUSirius said:

I thought ital Thai bankrupt ? Guess not. Thanks

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Nope... they also have the high speed Thai/China rail contract too... well the Thai part of it anyways.

 

[Don Giovanni]

Any condo/apartment owners/renters living in BKK, a word of advice - get out now!

 

There is picture/video evidence of structural damage to tall buildings throughout Bangkok all over Thai social media.

 

No high-rise building is safe from collapse there now, imo.

 

Come to Japan. Our tall buildings are designed to be earthquake resistant - they sway when the quakes hit, they don't collapse like a clumsy deck of cards..

The Don.

[richard_smith237]

  On 3/29/2025 at 1:54 AM, edwinchester said:

  On 3/28/2025 at 1:05 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

It was 580km away and an estimated 4.5Mw Magnitude by the time the energy reached Bangkok (within approximately 1.5 minutes after the quake in Myanmar)

 

There can't be a quake in Chiang Mai or Kanchanaburi because its not on a plate boundary.

 

  This earthquake, in Myanmar was from the Sagaing Fault, which is a strike-slip (transform) fault where the Indian Plate and the Sunda Plate (or Burma Microplate) slide past each other horizontally.  

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Kanchanaburi does have several fault lines, fortunately minor, along which quakes do happen. Biggest quake we had was a 5.5 maybe about 10 years ago. Centred on Sisawat up on the Burmese border. That one made the news as it also got the high-rise blocks in Bangkok swaying. Bangkok really does have a major problem being located in an area susceptible to liquefaction during a strong quake.

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In that case it can be argued that Thailand is 'riddled with fault zones'....  In fact there are are faults everywhere....   

 

The difference is they are intraplate faults, meaning they are within a tectonic plate (the Sunda Plate) rather than directly at a plate boundary. These faults are generally smaller, older, and less active. Many of them are strike-slip or normal faults, accommodating slow regional deformation rather than sudden large releases of stress.

 

The Myanmar earthquake likely occurred along the Sagaing Fault, which is a major active plate boundary fault between the India Plate and the Sunda Plate which typically have higher slip rates, and accumulate much more stress due to the interaction between two massive plates, making them capable of producing large, damaging earthquakes.

 

Historically, Thailand has had moderate earthquakes (usually less than magnitude 7).

Myanmar, on the other hand, has experienced magnitude 7+ earthquakes repeatedly over the last century due to its plate boundary fault system.

 

This quake was amplified in Bangkok due to its 'basin' effect, acting like a bowl and trapping and prolonging the shaking. Seismic waves bounce inside the basin, leading to longer durations of shaking compared to regions sitting on hard rock (such as Hua Hun or Pattaya).

[RUSirius]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:25 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

Nope... they also have the high speed Thai/China rail contract too... well the Thai part of it anyways.

 

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Should have searched it. Thanks. Down, but not out! Company been here since forever

[Ralf001]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:29 AM, RUSirius said:

 

Should have searched it. Thanks. Down, but not out! Company been here since forever

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Yeah been round for 60yrs or so.

I reckon their debt crisis will intesify once the dust settles on this collapse !

[RUSirius]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:26 AM, Don Giovanni said:

Any condo/apartment owners/renters living in BKK, a word of advice - get out now!

 

There is picture/video evidence of structural damage to tall buildings throughout Bangkok.

 

No high-rise building is safe from collapse there now, imo.

 

Come to Japan. Our tall buildings are designed to be earthquake resistant.

The Don.

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Ok gramps

 

Whats not or at least has potential of being dangerous in Thailand lol. Everything. That's why we are here. To not just live life, but feel it.

[Mr Meeseeks]

  On 3/29/2025 at 1:36 AM, stupidfarang said:

yet their roads are so much better than in the UK

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Not in my recent experience. 

 

Not to mention the planning and layout of UK roads is light years ahead of Thailand, also the UK has had proper roads for longer, and has older buildings and city layouts to contend with as well. 

[Webfoot]

That was a big quake.  I’m surprised I didn’t feel it in Patttaya.

[Dexxter]

  On 3/29/2025 at 12:12 AM, steffi said:

The one that surprised me the most was the Park Origin where you can see the buildings sway as they are designed to do but once you connect a bridge between them surely you're asking for trouble.

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The bridges between the towers should be on rollers similar to what they do with large bridges over rivers to allow for expansion.

[Don Giovanni]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:32 AM, RUSirius said:

 

Ok gramps

 

Whats not or at least has potential of being dangerous in Thailand lol. Everything. That's why we are here. To not just live life, but feel it.

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You want to feel what it's like being inside a tall building when it collapses?

 

That how you get your kicks, is it?

 

Talk about living dangerously!

You can count me out.

 

The Don.

[fondue zoo]

  On 3/28/2025 at 11:20 AM, Peabody said:

I would bet that there is far more unseen yet major structural damage. I believe most of BKK is built on mud.

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Clay

[thaibeachlovers]

  On 3/29/2025 at 1:43 AM, Aussie999 said:

Yeah, I remember the tsunami, Thailand refused outside help... also refused qualitied farang divers, living in Phuket.

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Plenty farangs cleaning up on Phi Phi, as I saw for myself.

[fondue zoo]

Our condo is already trying to use the building maintenance guys to prepare a report about the structure for the tenants. There is a lot of shoulder shrugging going on.

The first thought isn't safety but how does this affect my wallet.

 

Someone this morning sprayed some type of blue coloured adhesive where the walls meet the floor in the corridors.

Of course nobody bothered to sweep the debris on the floor first so that's all just glued down now too.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:07 AM, Aussie999 said:

Did you notice how narrow the support pillars are... oops, were.

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Re the vdo of the collapsed building- seems the pillars have disintegrated. Surely that shouldn't happen if have enough rebar?

[p414]

  On 3/28/2025 at 11:20 AM, Peabody said:

I would bet that there is far more unseen yet major structural damage. I believe most of BKK is built on mud.

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Hense the name ...'

Swampy'

[Don Giovanni]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:44 AM, fondue zoo said:

Our condo is already trying to use the building maintenance guys to prepare a report about the structure for the tenants. There is a lot of shoulder shrugging going on.

The first thought isn't safety but how does this affect my wallet.

 

Someone this morning sprayed some type of blue coloured adhesive where the walls meet the floor in the corridors.

Of course nobody bothered to sweep the debris on the floor first so that's all just glued down now too.

 

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Like putting a plaster on cancer.

 

Get the hell out of there now, if you can.

 

The Don.

[thaibeachlovers]

  On 3/29/2025 at 3:26 AM, Don Giovanni said:

Any condo/apartment owners/renters living in BKK, a word of advice - get out now!

 

There is picture/video evidence of structural damage to tall buildings throughout Bangkok all over Thai social media.

 

No high-rise building is safe from collapse there now, imo.

 

Come to Japan. Our tall buildings are designed to be earthquake resistant - they sway when the quakes hit, they don't collapse like a clumsy deck of cards..

The Don.

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Japan has a history of quakes- Thailand doesn't. I guess that explains it.