The tumbling of a skyscraper in the midst of construction in Bangkok during a recent earthquake has triggered investigations in Thailand. The incident stands out as the only building to fall during the quake, raising concerns about the construction methods and materials utilized by a Thai-Chinese contractor partnership. The building, slated to be a new venue for Thailand's State Audit Office, collapsed swiftly as a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck, resulting in the deaths of 12 workers and leaving nearly 80 individuals trapped. Despite ongoing rescue efforts, the extensive piles of concrete debris have complicated the search for survivors even days after the earthquake. Thailand's Interior Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has assembled a team of experts to investigate the collapse and provide a report to the government within a week. Additionally, the Ministry of Industry has gathered steel bar samples from the site for quality testing.

Public attention has focused on two particular companies involved in the project - ITD-CREC, a collaboration between Italian-Thai Development Pcl and China Railway Number 10 Thailand Co. The joint venture secured a 2.14 billion baht ($63 million) contract through competitive bidding in 2020 and commenced construction later that year. Witnesses observed the top of the building, which was 45% completed, crumbling before the entire structure collapsed, sending debris in all directions. Shocked onlookers captured the chaos in viral videos shared on social media.

At the collapse site, civil engineer Suchatvee Suwansawat, who ran for Bangkok governor in the 2022 election, expressed astonishment, stating that the collapse was unprecedented in Thailand and questioning the cause behind the abrupt fall of the building. While the contractors have yet to offer any explanations for the collapse, Italian-Thai expressed its commitment to implementing corrective measures promptly to restore normalcy. The company, a major player in Thailand's construction industry, previously faced financial challenges and safety incidents at its project sites. It was under critique earlier for another collapse incident on an under-construction highway in Bangkok that resulted in six fatalities.