Six killed in Surin building collapse during heavy thunder rainstorm

[webfact]

Six killed in roof collapse during heavy thunder rainstorm



BANGKOK: -- Six persons who included a family of three were killed when the construction material and house decoration building collapsed during a torrential summer rainstorm yesterday evening in Surin province.

Surin police said the incident happened at about 5 p.m. at Siam Global House Centre which is located on Kilometre 3 of the Surin-Prasart road in Muang district.

There was heavy rainstorm and lightning near the centre, police said.

But after a lightning struck the front gate of the centre, the roof collapsed and fell to the ground.

Owner of the centre which sells construction materials and house furniture Mr Charun Petnok, his wife and 12-year-old daughter working at the building were buried by the collapsed rooftop, along with three employees.

They were all killed at the scene.

Two other employees were also injured and were later admitted to Surin hospital.

Police and rescue workers said the 12-metre long and 49-metre wide metal structure roof which connected to the main office building and weighed several tons collapsed to the ground during the storm and after being struck by lightning.

Rescue workers had to use backhoe to lift tons of the metal debris to bring out all the six bodies.

Investigation was being conducted if the extended roof was permitted to be built by officials or not.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/six-killed-roof-collapse-heavy-thunder-rainstorm/

-- Thai PBS 2014-05-14

[bino]

Sincere condolences to all of the injured and the families who lost loved ones.

I find it hugely ironic that a building that was constructed to be a home improvement / building supply / construction equipment center was constructed so poorly.

Undoubtedly it was built in a hurry in order to get opened and start bringing in the almighty baht with little regard to safety standards and construction principles.

Edited May 14, 2014 by bino

[ChrisY1]

Another sad example of poor construction methods here.....no earthquake....no explosion....it just fell down.

RIP the innocent.

Will blame be forthcoming?....maybe...but likely maybe not....anyway it's too late!

Edited May 14, 2014 by ChrisY1

[JohnThailandJohn]

Another sad example of poor construction methods here.....no earthquake....no explosion....it just fell down.

RIP the innocent.

Will blame be forthcoming?....maybe...but likely maybe not....anyway it's too late!

Seems you have already given blame not just without fact but ignoring even the facts mentioned in the article.

[bino]

Will blame be forthcoming?

Already been done mate. Blame is on the lightning and the stormy weather, not Global House or the contractor responsible for the construction.

Edited May 14, 2014 by bino

[ChrisY1]

Another sad example of poor construction methods here.....no earthquake....no explosion....it just fell down.

RIP the innocent.

Will blame be forthcoming?....maybe...but likely maybe not....anyway it's too late!

Seems you have already given blame not just without fact but ignoring even the facts mentioned in the article.

Don't know what background you are working or have worked in, but mine has been engineering....buildings do not fall down after a lightning strike...!

[webfact]

Mall roof collapses in Surin province, 6 confirmed dead



SURIN, 14 May 2014 (NNT) - A severe hailstorm has struck Surin province last night and has triggered a flood that lasted for 2 hours.

Surin Province has been battered by a hailstorm that lasted for an hour, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds at 5pm on May 13th. The storm has caused damage to Global House, a major home building and appliances mall located in the downtown of Surin province.

Engineers suspect the winds had damaged the concrete wall attached to the roof, which caused the roof to collapse. This accident has resulted in the death of six people and one unborn baby.

As of now, engineers will inspect the building structure to determine whether it was built according to standards and also analyze for other possible causes of the collapse.

-- NNT 2014-05-14

[bino]

Don't know what background you are working or have worked in, but mine has been engineering....buildings do not fall down after a lightning strike...!

This one certainly did.

I'm not an engineer like you, but I am envisioning the heat and energy of the lightning strike cutting through a structural steel truss like a cutting torch and caused the roof to fail. I an also envisioning that Global House or the contractors decided to forego any kind of proper lightning protection and earthing system since all of that copper would be expensive, and probably get stolen by scavengers if they did install it.

I can't get the final moments of the victims out of my mind... believing they were safe and sheltered from the weather and elements when death from above came down on them in a brutal and horrific final instance.

[cooked]

My son in laws' brother's family were shopping there when this happened, 4 people dead from one family including pregnant lady. Just goes to show that these reports are never accurate.

I just found out this morning and the BIL is driving to Surin now.

[Local Drunk]

Don't know what background you are working or have worked in, but mine has been engineering....buildings do not fall down after a lightning strike...!

This one certainly did.

I'm not an engineer like you, but I am envisioning the heat and energy of the lightning strike cutting through a structural steel truss like a cutting torch and caused the roof to fail. I an also envisioning that Global House or the contractors decided to forego any kind of proper lightning protection and earthing system since all of that copper would be expensive, and probably get stolen by scavengers if they did install it.

I can't get the final moments of the victims out of my mind... believing they were safe and sheltered from the weather and elements when death from above came down on them in a brutal and horrific final instance.

Rubbish... bino, you certainly aren't an engineer and you should confine your posts to posts that really have no basis in reality.

[marko kok prong]

Last night we had the biggest storm of this year so far,incredible ,rain,thunder and lightning,no power for 12 hours,it does state in the article hail was involved,if a flat roofed building it is possible that the weight of the hail stones on top,and possible wind gusts caused the collapse,it does happen in ferocious storm such as these in many countrys,still sad to hear of fatalities.

[coobah666]

Same thing happened to the Global house in Mukdahan 12 months ago and the same part of the building collapse and saw another global house not sure if it was Roi et or Kohn Kaen with the same thing so that makes three that I have seen. It seems that the building standards for global house are to blame not the storm

[JohnThailandJohn]

Another sad example of poor construction methods here.....no earthquake....no explosion....it just fell down.

RIP the innocent.

Will blame be forthcoming?....maybe...but likely maybe not....anyway it's too late!

Seems you have already given blame not just without fact but ignoring even the facts mentioned in the article.

Don't know what background you are working or have worked in, but mine has been engineering....buildings do not fall down after a lightning strike...!

Now you have gone from no reason to lightning. At least your getting a little better. Now you just need to do a little Google search and find a number of stories of roofs collapsing not just in the US and UK but around the world and you don't even need to go beyond just this year.

Fact is that it happens and lightning is an incredible force and does destroy buildings. What is sad is most people will first have some sympathy for those innocents killed before blabbing on about how others are stupid.

And as an FYI, buildings also sometimes collapse during heavy rains but as an engineer am sure you know this.

[webfact]

Surin governor orders speeding up of probe into cause of store collapse

BANGKOK: -- The Surin governor has ordered police to speed up probe into the cause of the collapse of a construction material department store that killed six people and injured two others Tuesday evening.

Surin Governor Nirand Kalayanamitr has called an urgent meeting of officials concerned, including chief public works engineer of the provincial public works office, and told them to urgently find out the cause of the collapse.

The dome of the store caved in, crushing six shoppers and two staffs.

The governor also prohibited the use of the remaining building until engineers guarantee the safety of its structure.


-- The Nation 2014-05-14

[livingthedream]

Mall roof collapses in Surin province, 6 confirmed dead

SURIN, 14 May 2014 (NNT) - A severe hailstorm has struck Surin province last night and has triggered a flood that lasted for 2 hours.

Surin Province has been battered by a hailstorm that lasted for an hour, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds at 5pm on May 13th. The storm has caused damage to Global House, a major home building and appliances mall located in the downtown of Surin province.

Engineers suspect the winds had damaged the concrete wall attached to the roof, which caused the roof to collapse. This accident has resulted in the death of six people and one unborn baby.

As of now, engineers will inspect the building structure to determine whether it was built according to standards and also analyze for other possible causes of the collapse.

-- NNT 2014-05-14

That photo is of Global Mukdahan which partially collapsed two years ago a month after opening during heavy storms - just wanted to clear that up

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[Local Drunk]

Surin governor orders speeding up of probe into cause of store collapse

BANGKOK: -- The Surin governor has ordered police to speed up probe into the cause of the collapse of a construction material department store that killed six people and injured two others Tuesday evening.

Surin Governor Nirand Kalayanamitr has called an urgent meeting of officials concerned, including chief public works engineer of the provincial public works office, and told them to urgently find out the cause of the collapse.

The dome of the store caved in, crushing six shoppers and two staffs.

The governor also prohibited the use of the remaining building until engineers guarantee the safety of its structure.

-- The Nation 2014-05-14

Send me the blueprint, specs of the building and meteorological reports for the evening and I'll tell you why.

[coobah666]

thought it looked familiar.

[ChrisY1]

Another sad example of poor construction methods here.....no earthquake....no explosion....it just fell down.

RIP the innocent.

Will blame be forthcoming?....maybe...but likely maybe not....anyway it's too late!

Seems you have already given blame not just without fact but ignoring even the facts mentioned in the article.

Don't know what background you are working or have worked in, but mine has been engineering....buildings do not fall down after a lightning strike...!

Now you have gone from no reason to lightning. At least your getting a little better. Now you just need to do a little Google search and find a number of stories of roofs collapsing not just in the US and UK but around the world and you don't even need to go beyond just this year.

Fact is that it happens and lightning is an incredible force and does destroy buildings. What is sad is most people will first have some sympathy for those innocents killed before blabbing on about how others are stupid.

And as an FYI, buildings also sometimes collapse during heavy rains but as an engineer am sure you know this.

I guess I should have worded my post as "should not fall down after lightning"......maybe a little angry that these incidents happen.

I was really trying to stress the poor quality of construction here.....

[kuiburi]

Flat roof , congested drainagepipes , no safety overflows on the roof , combine that with positive charged lightning and a roof can collapse .

Ideal combination for disaster .

I have seen trees that are hundreds of years old that got struck by lightning , its like they exploded and partly turned in to toothpicks .

Anyway , here in Thailand could also be poor construction .

[bino]

Rubbish... bino, you certainly aren't an engineer

I did say that I was not an engineer, and that what I posted was a product of my imagination.

I must admit to being totally perplexed by what you are trying to tell me here:

you should confine your posts to posts that really have no basis in reality.

If my post is rubbish as you say, it would have no basis in reality and I am already posting within the guidelines you have set out for me??

I can only surmise that you are living up to the title you have chosen for yourself. Perhaps you should confine your posts to those that really have a basis in sobriety.

[webfact]

SURIN
Six killed in building collapse
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Six people including a pregnant woman were killed when the entrance to a construction material store collapsed following heavy rain and strong winds in Surin's Muang district on Tuesday.

Police were alerted at about 4pm that the concrete walls used to block the wind for the Global House Store had not resisted the storm and had fallen on to the roof of the entrance building. The area was hit by heavy rains, hailstones and strong winds for more than an hour.

Rescue workers who rushed to the scene yesterday initially found three bodies of a family under the debris. They were identified as Charan Phetnok, 32, Sudathip Ukart, 33, who was pregnant, and their daughter whose name and age were not revealed. They reportedly stopped to shop at the store as well as to avoid the heavy rain.

At about 10pm, the rescue workers found the bodies of three male staff who were identified by their name tags as Rob Chusrikhao, 56, Yo Saengprasert, 36 and Sakchai Prajujan, 39.

Surin Governor Nirun Kulayanamit has ordered immediate closure of the store pending investigation into the incident and examination of the remaining buildings. Investigators will also look into whether the store holds legal permits.


-- The Nation 2014-05-14

[brimacthai]

The thing is people are dead. RIP for them. It all comes down to two things... corruption and greed...

What I would be worried about is the Robinson store that was built in record time... even for Thailand.

[cooked]

A load of BS on this thread. We don't know what caused this tragedy so why discuss it? I posted earlier that 4 (not 3) members of my extended family died and you guys start an argument about hailstones . The response was deafening. Thanks guys.

[ezzra]

Yep... the rainstorm have melted the fake cement, or lack of it, or whatever they

now days in "construction"

[khwaibah]

The thing is people are dead. RIP for them. It all comes down to two things... corruption and greed...

What I would be worried about is the Robinson store that was built in record time... even for Thailand.

And that includes the 72 hours that were lost to deport all the illegal Cambodian workers (about 60) from the work camp for a riot. Deported by Kap Choeng Immigration. Its is sad that this is the 3 major disaster in Thailand for GH.

Edited May 14, 2014 by khwaibah

[marko kok prong]

A load of BS on this thread. We don't know what caused this tragedy so why discuss it? I posted earlier that 4 (not 3) members of my extended family died and you guys start an argument about hailstones . The response was deafening. Thanks guys.

Mate very sorry for your loss,it must be an awful time for you and your extended family,that said this is a forum,and whilst some of the discussion has been less than edified,i really think with a large post count such as yours you should have known what to expect in regards to discussion of the topic,but once again my condolences to you and your family.

[khwaibah]

A load of BS on this thread. We don't know what caused this tragedy so why discuss it? I posted earlier that 4 (not 3) members of my extended family died and you guys start an argument about hailstones . The response was deafening. Thanks guys.

Mate very sorry for your loss,it must be an awful time for you and your extended family,that said this is a forum,and whilst some of the discussion has been less than edified,i really think with a large post count such as yours you should have known what to expect in regards to discussion of the topic,but once again my condolences to you and your family.

Time for condolences and healing. RIP. Personally I would like all speculation and off topic post removed from this thread.

[Dogmatix]

Was the store built with Global's own construction materials? Surprising that that a building is not designed to withstand hailstones.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Dogmatix

[marko kok prong]

Was the store built with Global's own construction materials? Surprising that that a building is not designed to withstand hailstones.

it depends i think on the volume,if they settle they are quite heavy,it's ice after all,we had similar things happen back in Newcastle Australia in a big storm in 2006,quite a few roof buckled due to the volume of hail/water on top,and there was widespread damage across the city.

[Tchooptip]

Another sad example of poor construction methods here.....no earthquake....no explosion....it just fell down.

RIP the innocent.

Will blame be forthcoming?....maybe...but likely maybe not....anyway it's too late!

Seems you have already given blame not just without fact but ignoring even the facts mentioned in the article.

Don't know what background you are working or have worked in, but mine has been engineering....buildings do not fall down after a lightning strike...!

Even thought my background in only Google I am not so sure buildings collapsing after lightning strike happened only in Thailand ?

https://www.google.co.th/search?q=building+collapse+after+strike+of+lightning&num=100&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=jUNzU5ShH4rtrQf_5oGYDA&ved=0CPABELAE&biw=1205&bih=708

Edited May 14, 2014 by Tchooptip