Thai court issues arrest warrants for 17, including tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, over deadly Bangkok skyscraper collapse during March earthquake that killed 89 workers.
 |
| Seventeen individuals, including construction magnate Premchai Karnasuta, are wanted for their roles in a fatal skyscraper collapse in Bangkok during a powerful March earthquake. Image: CH |
Bangkok, Thailand — May 16, 2025:
A Thai court has issued arrest warrants for 17 people, including prominent construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, in connection with the collapse of a partially built 30-story skyscraper in Bangkok that killed 89 workers during a powerful earthquake in March.
The State Audit Office tower was the only skyscraper to collapse during the 7.7 magnitude tremor that struck neighboring Myanmar and affected parts of Thailand. Search teams recovered 89 bodies after six weeks of operations amid the rubble, while seven workers remain missing.
Deputy Bangkok police chief Police Major General Somkuan Puengsap confirmed that the charges against the suspects involve serious violations of building codes resulting in fatalities, punishable by life imprisonment. The accused include executives, engineers, and officials from seven companies responsible for the tower’s design, construction, and oversight.
Investigations are ongoing, with authorities yet to disclose the final cause of the collapse. Prior to the tragedy, a government anti-corruption watchdog had alerted officials to irregularities in the skyscraper’s construction. Industry experts also found evidence of substandard steel used at the site.
Among those wanted, Premchai Karnasuta, former president of Italian Thai Development Pcl — Thailand’s largest construction firm — has been publicly named. The company has pledged full cooperation with the probe and has engaged with investors on the issue. Premchai has not responded to requests for comment.
Premchai’s past includes a 2021 conviction for poaching protected wildlife, for which he served over three years in prison.
This disaster has become one of the deadliest construction accidents in Thailand’s history, raising urgent concerns about construction safety standards, regulatory enforcement, and corporate accountability in the country’s booming real estate sector.