Thai investigators concluded that flaws in the design and construction methods caused the collapse of a partially built Bangkok building that killed at least 89 people during the March 28 earthquake, according to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
An investigation by a government agency and three universities found that the elevator and stairwell walls were improperly designed and built, Ms Paetongtarn said.
She added that the quality of steel, concrete and other materials met required standards, disputing earlier reports that substandard steel bars had been used.
The 30-story building intended to house the State Audit Office was the only structure in the capital to collapse following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar.
Police have filed criminal charges against a prominent Thai construction tycoon and about a dozen others for negligence resulting in the collapse and loss of life.
The building was being constructed by ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway Number 10 Thailand Co.
Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, the project’s main contractor, was among more than a dozen executives, engineers, designers and supervisors who reported to police after a court issued arrest warrants.
