The contractors of an under-construction tower that crashed in Bangkok during the March 28 earthquake apparently used substandard steel bars made by a factory that had been shuttered by the authorities.

Samples of two different sizes of steel bars collected from the crash site failed tests by the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand for their mass, chemical composition and ability to withstand stress before breaking. The metal was made by the same company, whose factory was shut since December, said Mr Thitipas Choddaechachainun, head of a working group at the Ministry of Industry, without identifying the business.

Images of the steel bars shared by the ministry and local media displayed the brand Sky, made by Xin Ke Yuan Steel, which had a factory in Thailand’s Rayong province. The Thai authorities closed the factory on safety grounds in December due to an accident involving gas tank leakage and seized more than 2,400 tonnes of steel. [...]

The discovery of the substandard steel comes amid a separate probe ordered by the government to uncover the reasons for the building collapse. Xin Ke Yuan Steel is the second Chinese company to draw Thai scrutiny. The skyscraper was being constructed by ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development and China Railway Number 10 Thailand. 

The authorities will collect more steel samples and collaborate with the probe panel, Industry Minister Akanat Promphan said on April 1. Meanwhile, China Railway Number 10, which could not be reached for comment, is also set to be probed by the Department of Special Investigation to see if it used Thai nominees as proxy shareholders, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said. 

A phone operator at the Xin Ke Yuan Steel plant said the factory operations remained suspended. Executives at the firm could not be reached. [...] A representative for Italian-Thai could not immediately be reached for comment. 

The viral images of the dramatic collapse of the building, which was about 45 per cent complete, have raised questions about the design, construction and quality of materials used. [...]

The government will take action against the steel factory under Thailand’s Industrial Products Standards Act, the Ministry of Industry’s Mr Thitipas told reporters late on March 31, adding that the government has been cracking down on low-quality steel. [...]