Bangkok police have detained four Chinese nationals for illegally entering the site of a high-rise under construction that collapsed following last week’s powerful earthquake in Thailand. Authorities said the men were allegedly attempting to recover documents from the disaster zone on Sunday.

The collapse of the 30-story building in Bangkok’s Chatuchak District, triggered by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday, has raised serious concerns about the structural integrity of the project. The building crumbled within seconds, sending clouds of debris into the air and trapping dozens beneath the rubble.

Unauthorized entry raises questions

According to Police Major General Nopasin Poolswat, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the four Chinese nationals were caught removing 32 files of documents from the rear of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building without authorization.

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Following the catastrophic earthquake, the Bangkok governor declared the site a disaster zone, restricting all unauthorized entry. However, police received reports that individuals were seen removing documents from the site on Saturday, prompting an immediate investigation.

During the probe, authorities located one of the Chinese men near the collapse site. He identified himself as the project manager of the construction project. Further investigation confirmed that the man had a valid work permit and was part of a joint venture between an unnamed Chinese construction firm and the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD), the main contractor of the project.

Document seizure and ongoing investigation

Police discovered three additional Chinese men at the scene and seized 32 documents in their possession, which reportedly contained various types of paperwork. The detained individuals claimed they were subcontractors retrieving essential documents for an insurance claim, as the paperwork had been stored in a container serving as the company’s temporary office.

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Authorities initially released the suspects after questioning, but later on Sunday, the Chatuchak District Office filed a formal complaint against five Chinese nationals for violating public safety regulations by entering the site and removing blueprints and other documents from the collapsed SAO building.

Rising death toll and unanswered concerns

As of Sunday, authorities have confirmed 17 deaths, with 32 people injured and 83 still unaccounted for—most of them construction workers who were on-site at the time of the collapse. Eight bodies have been recovered from the debris so far, and thermal imaging drones suggest at least 15 more individuals may still be alive under the rubble.

According to reports from the UK’s Telegraph, the SAO building was a joint venture between ITD and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group Company, which holds a 49% stake—the maximum foreign ownership allowed under Thai law.

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The collapse of the SAO building, which had been under construction for three years at an estimated cost of over two billion baht ($55 million), has sparked serious concerns about safety standards and regulatory oversight. Despite Bangkok’s skyline being filled with high-rise buildings, many still under construction, the SAO project was the only structure to suffer such catastrophic failure. Investigators are now scrutinizing whether substandard materials, design flaws, or negligence contributed to the disaster.

Authorities have vowed to conduct a full investigation into the collapse and the involvement of the Chinese-backed firm, as the tragedy continues to unfold.

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