Design Flaw, Forgery Allegations Surface in Deadly SAO Building Collapse

[webfact]

Rescuers search for victims at the site of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, early Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

 

BANGKOK - In a startling revelation, the SAO building collapse on March 28 may have been caused by a design blunder in the elevator shaft.

 

A fact-finding committee has suggested that the tremors from Myanmar’s earthquake might have triggered the mishap due to compromised structural integrity, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul disclosed. This building failure, he added, has raised concerns about unauthorised changes to the original building plans.

 

Charnvirakul revealed his discomfort over reports of a potential signature forgery. It's suspected that a structural engineer’s signature was falsified on a document by a contractor responsible for certifying the altered elevator shaft design.

 

The minister equated this unethical act to forging a medical certificate, highlighting the severity of the breach.

 

 

 

The altered design reportedly reduced the thickness of the elevator walls from 30cm to a scant 25cm. Charnvirakul announced plans to meet with the director-general of the Department of Public Works, Town and Country Planning to discuss ethical violations within construction protocols.

 

Such modifications might have contributed significantly to the building’s collapse.

 

Meanwhile, the rescue teams have reduced the mound of debris to about 14 metres in height as they continue the grim search for more victims. Hopes diminish with each passing day, with remaining survivors believed to be scarce under the rubble.

 

Currently, the confirmed death toll from the tragedy has reached 44, with nine injured survivors and 50 still unaccounted for. This somber incident underlines the critical need for stringent adherence to construction standards, ensuring that such catastrophic failures do not repeat.

 

Based on a story by Thai PBS World

 

-- 2025-04-18

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

42 minutes ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, the rescue teams have reduced the mound of debris to about 14 metres in height

 

Well done to all of the rescue teams.

I believe that the original mound was 26 metres high.

[JoePai]

startling revelations / signature forgery

 

Is anyone really surprised

[khwaibah]

No <deleted> sherlock.

[dinsdale]

Funny how one word is missing from this article and IMHO (and millions of others I'm sure) the main cause of the collapse and that word is corruption.

"A fact-finding committee has suggested that the tremors from Myanmar’s earthquake might have triggered the mishap due to compromised structural integrity," And why was the structural integrity compromised? Corruption/cost cutting,

[Jonathan Swift]

Who watches the watchers?

[JimHuaHin]

A "design blunder"???

 

Then the design company, the officials who verified and approved the design, as well as the 2 construction companies involved should be (i) fined a few billion Baht for incompetence, (ii) imprisoned for manslaughter, and (iii) banned from working in Thailand for 50 years.

 

Of course "gifts" will be exchanged, and scapegoats identified and punished - end of story.

[ChrisY1]

Ok...so important people, senator/s maybe, have had their names and signatures forged.....of course they have!

[RayOday]

Thailand irony at it's finest. 

Thailand's State Audit Office (SAO) collapses due to corrupt practices that weren't audited.

[AustinRacing]

Yeah blame the non-Thais is this guys first only usually only answer. 

[hotchilli]

On 4/18/2025 at 8:51 AM, webfact said:

The minister equated this unethical act to forging a medical certificate, highlighting the severity of the breach

Reminds me of someone else we know... forged medical certificates?

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Ok...so important people, senator/s maybe, have had their names and signatures forged.....of course they have!

Supposedly forged to dodge blame ?

[jippytum]

Multiple layers of corruption from the very foundation of the company to every level of illegal greedy dealings are being  exposed in this tradgedy  even as the search for the unfortunate victims continues. 

[Geoffggi]

All no doubt designed to take the heat of the Chinese steel manufacturing company, but once again as has been said numerous times corruption top to bottom.

[Aussie999]

From videos of the collapse, the central lift column seemed to last longer that the floors, which collapse from the outside edges... If that makes sense

[sandyf]

31 minutes ago, jippytum said:

Multiple layers of corruption from the very foundation of the company to every level of illegal greedy dealings are being  exposed in this tradgedy  even as the search for the unfortunate victims continues. 

There is a saying about clouds and silver linings.

Although it should never have happened and extremely tragic for the loss of life, it is much better it was destroyed under construction than later, when fully operational with possibly thousands of people inside and in the immediate area.

Indications so far would indicate only a matter of time.

[mfd101]

1 hour ago, jippytum said:

Multiple layers of corruption from the very foundation of the company to every level of illegal greedy dealings

So who's going to audit the auditors?

[trainman34014]

Crooked Jokers the lot of 'em. !

[Presnock]

On 4/18/2025 at 10:10 AM, JoePai said:

startling revelations / signature forgery

 

Is anyone really surprised

I am surprised, I have been here off and on for more than 30 years and find it unbelieveable that so much is wrong with the very basic documentation of this humongous and expensive building.  With all the different governments involved in the spending of such funds and time on the construction and with the historic fraud and corruption we see in the news regularly, that some checks and balances should have occured on a regular basis but appartently not.  How could fake signatures be obtained and never be known about until there were BIG PROBLEMS?  But thanks to those police capturing those persons trying to make off with the documentation and hopefully all responsible for the many deaths due to the collapse will rot in prison.  Should be interesting to watch for sure.

[newnative]

   Seriously doubt changing the elevator walls to 25 cm from 30 cm caused the collapse.  It may have been a contributing factor but likely there were more factors in play.

[khwaibah]

On 4/18/2025 at 10:43 AM, khwaibah said:

No <deleted> sherlock.

No shyt sherlock.

[DTL2014]

the contractor was Italian Thai -the guy who went to prison for eating black panther tails in the national park - very unlikely the chinese partner would have access to this signature - if it was their first project. i am a shareholder in ITD so naturally i am very disappointed with the leadership just from the panther incident...but this loss of life is even greater...bad luck is following this guy around...

[watchcat]

On 4/18/2025 at 3:10 AM, JoePai said:

startling revelations / signature forgery

 

Is anyone really surprised

 

Not raelly Chinese people where involved.

[digger70]

On 4/18/2025 at 8:51 AM, webfact said:

a potential signature forgery. It's suspected that a structural engineer’s signature was falsified on a document by a contractor responsible for certifying the altered elevator shaft design.

There you go, Time that the government do something about the corruption. Even the ones in the Government 

All the corruption needs to be weeded out before this country goes ahead

If the Government can't do their job Get rid of the no hopers and vote for a more competent one .