DSI digs deeper into deadly ‘pancake’ Bangkok building collapse
Investigators are piling pressure on firms behind the deadly State Audit Office building collapse, as the case takes a darker turn with forgery claims, phantom contractors, and a “pancake” tragedy that’s left dozens dead and scores missing.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is ramping up its probe into the catastrophic collapse of the State Audit Office building in Chatuchak, Bangkok, now widening its net to include firms involved in its design, construction oversight, and contracting, amid bombshell claims of a forged engineer’s signature.
Justice Minister Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong and DSI chief Police Major Yutthana Praedam visited the mangled site on yesterday, April 16, as investigators work around the clock to crack open two explosive cases: one targeting alleged business nominees, and another centring on the forged signature of a senior engineer who says he had nothing to do with the doomed project.
“We’re dealing with serious allegations that go beyond structural failure,” a DSI insider said. “There are clear signs of foul play in the paperwork as well.”
At the heart of the investigation is Somkiat Chusangsuk, a veteran engineer whose name appeared on official documents as the “project supervisor” for PKW Joint Venture, despite the fact he quit the role more than 20 years ago. He vehemently refuses to accept any involvement in the project.
“I was wrongly identified in design change documents, particularly regarding the building’s elevator shaft. I’ve taken legal action and handed all evidence to both the DSI and police to clear my name.”
Investigators have already seized four key contracts relating to the building’s design, construction oversight, and alterations. Forensic experts are now analysing both the allegedly forged and authentic signatures, with results expected in a fortnight.
Meanwhile, the nominee case, involving suspicions that fake names were used to bag lucrative construction deals, must be wrapped up before the DSI can drill into other murky areas, including how the contract bidding was conducted.
Adding to the horror, engineering expert and Asian Institute of Technology emeritus professor Worasak Kanok-Nukulchai has labelled the disaster a textbook “pancake collapse,” where floors fell like dominoes in just eight seconds, crushing everything below.
The current death toll stands at 44, with 50 people still unaccounted for as the search through the debris continues.
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