
[Source: AP News]
State prosecutors in Thailand have formally indicted 23 individuals and companies on charges related to the collapse of a Bangkok office building that collapsed after an earthquake, killing at least 92 people.
The partially built high-rise, which was to house the new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to completely collapse on March 28 due to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which was centered in neighboring Myanmar.
Those indicted include the lead contractors for the project: Italian-Thai Development Co. and its Chinese joint venture partner for the project, the China Railway No. 10 company.
Italian-Thai Development’s president, Premchai Karnasuta, and China Railway No. 10’s local director, Zhang Chuanling, were also indicted along with others, including designers, engineers and several other companies.
The charges in the various indictments include professional negligence in design, supervision, or construction practices that failed to comply with engineering standards, resulting in danger to others and causing deaths, according to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.