The planned skyscraper was to house government offices, but the shaking reduced the structure to a pile of rubble in seconds.
The collapse is the worst damage inflicted in Thailand by the 7.7-magnitude quake, which caused widespread destruction -- and at least 1,700 deaths -- in neighbouring Myanmar.
Numerous high-rise buildings elsewhere in Bangkok were left unscathed with limited reports of major damage, prompting questions as to why the one tower was destroyed.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters on Monday that only two buildings in the city remained inaccessible.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had expressed concerns on Saturday, questioning why the collapsed building was the only one in the capital to suffer major damage.
"I have questions in my mind," she said. "What happened from the beginning since it was designed? How was this design approved? This was not the first building in the country.
"We have to investigate where the mistake happened."
Paetongtarn ordered a probe into the incident involving a group of experts who she said would report back to her this week.
- Some substandard steel -
Critics have said that the steel bars used to link the building's concrete structures may have been too thin, or not of sufficient quality.
A number of steel rods were taken from the rubble and put through various technical examinations in front of journalists on Monday afternoon.
Industry minister Akanat Promphan said on Sunday that six types of steel had been found, all from a single producer.
"The collapse of a building can come from several factors, from design, construction (and) material specification," he said.
"Most important is the standard of the materials."
Nontichai Likhitaporn, inspections director at the Thai Industrial Standards Institute, told a news conference that some of the steel was found to be substandard, though most was acceptable.
Nattaphol Suthitham, from the Engineering Institute of Thailand, said the use of substandard steel would put the building at greater risk, but was not necessarily the sole cause of the collapse.
The confirmed death toll for Bangkok stood at 19 on Monday, with fears that the number could significantly rise as dozens remain missing under the building's rubble.
Morning rain on Monday gave way to a hot, humid and overcast afternoon as responders worked to remove debris and locate any remaining survivors.
Meanwhile, concerns have also been raised about Thailand's emergency response system, after a text message alert system experienced delays when Friday's quake struck.
"Our problem is that the sending of messages was slow and did not cover enough people," Paetongtarn said Saturday.
The prime minister has called a meeting for Monday with government departments responsible for sending the SMS alerts to the public, Thai media reported.
'Can collapse anytime': Mandalay quake victims seek respite outdoors
Mandalay, Myanmar (AFP) April 1, 2025 -
After a night sprawled out on cardboard panels under hastily erected plastic tarps, hundreds of Mandalay residents awoke Tuesday to more earthquake recovery work, wondering when they can return safely to permanent shelter.
The violent 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Friday near the city in central Myanmar, killing more than 2,000 people, with fears the toll could rise significantly.
Initial tremors destroyed many homes across the city, and persistent aftershocks have left the residents of those spared wary of spending time indoors.
"We don't dare to go back home because we are worried our neighbouring building will collapse on us," said 57-year-old grandmother Hlaing Hlaing Hmwe.
"Children want to go back because the weather is hot here," she said.
Temperatures on Tuesday in the city of more than 1.7 million people again approached 40 degrees Celsius.
Hlaing Hlaing Hmwe said they won't be able to endure it much longer, so she is considering going to a monastery in search of shelter.
"We heard monasteries collapsed too but there is another one we can go to."
Though sleeping in the open relieves one of the risk of falling buildings, Soe Tint said that basic amenities such as water, electricity and access to toilets are difficult to come by.
Still, it is preferable to the potential danger of being inside.
"We don't feel safe to sleep at our home," said the 71-year-old Mandalay resident. "So we moved to this field".
The buildings next to his home are as high as six or seven storeys, and he said they are now leaning due to the tremors.
"I even think my own heartbeat is an earthquake."
- Uncollected belongings -
At the U Hla Thein Buddhist examination hall, where part of the building collapsed as hundreds of monks took an exam, at least 60 uncollected book bags were piled on a table outside.
Textbooks, notebooks and passports were among the contents.
"These are the belongings of the monks who sat the exam," said one attendant, adding there was a second pile elsewhere.
Fire engines and heavy lifting vehicles were parked outside and an Indian rescue team worked on the pancaked remains of the building.
One Indian officer said there was a terrible smell coming from the building.
"We don't how many people are under the structure," he said.
A Myanmar fire official confirmed: "Many dead bodies are coming out. There can be no survivors."
Complicating recovery efforts is the country's brutal ongoing civil war, sparked in 2021 when a military junta ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government.
Since then, fighting between the military and a complex patchwork of anti-junta forces has left Myanmar's infrastructure and economy in tatters.
The country is observing a week of mourning, as announced by the junta, with a minute of silence held Tuesday at 12:51:02 (0621 GMT) -- the precise time the quake struck four days before.
In a compound on Tuesday next to Mandalay University, a Myanmar flag flew at half-mast, its yellow, green and red stripes stirred by a desultory breeze.
Traffic has picked up in the city since the quake, but one driver said it was still less than usual.
Soe Tint, who relocated to the field with his family, is eager to return to the comforts of home.
"No one knows how long it will take," he said.
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