During the March 2025 Myanmar earthquake, a 30-story building under construction collapsed in which Southeast Asian capital city?

During the March 2025 Myanmar earthquake, a 30-story building under construction collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand. On March 28, 2025, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 to 7.9 struck the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, near the city of Mandalay. Despite being over 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter, the seismic waves from this significant event were strongly felt in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

The distant but impactful tremors led to the catastrophic collapse of the 30-story State Audit Office tower, which was still under construction in Bangkok. This tragedy resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries. Investigations into the collapse highlighted several factors, including the supershear nature of the earthquake's rupture and Bangkok's unique geological conditions. The city's soft soil basin is known to amplify seismic waves, making high-rise structures particularly vulnerable to distant earthquakes through a phenomenon known as resonance.

Further analysis suggested that while the earthquake was the trigger, deficiencies in the building's design and construction methods likely contributed to its failure. For instance, the design reportedly used a flat slab system without beams, a technique that can be more vulnerable to seismic forces. Thailand has updated its building codes to enhance earthquake resistance, with the most recent regulations issued in 2021, which prescribe seismic design standards for certain types of buildings in 43 provinces, including Bangkok. This event served as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous adherence to earthquake-resistant building standards, even in cities not directly on major fault lines.