Probe quake collapse now

The massive earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday sent tremors rippling across Thailand, and the force of the quake was felt strongly in Bangkok — a city of towering skyscrapers.

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Despite the widespread impact of the quake, only one structure — the 30-storey State Audit Office building in Chatuchak district — collapsed completely. Over a dozen people were killed in the disaster, while scores of others were injured and still remain unaccounted for as of yesterday. This raises the question: Why did this particular building fail in such a catastrophic manner, while others remained standing after the earthquake?

The building, which was valued at over two billion baht, was constructed by a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc and subsidiary of China Railway No.10 Engineering Corporation (CREC).

The question that needs to be answered now is: Why did the government owned building collapse, when numerous other structures in the quake in city — many of which are older, taller or under construction — managed to withstand the tremor with minimal damage?