Italian-Thai Development, one of Thailand’s largest construction conglomerates, is in the spotlight after successive fatal incidents on its building sites.
On Jan. 14, a crane collapsed onto a passenger train in the country’s northeast, killing at least 32 people. Just one day later, another crane fell on a highway project in Samut Sakhon province, leading to two deaths. Italian-Thai Development helmed both projects, and so on Jan. 16, Thailand’s Transport Ministry ordered a 15-day construction halt on more than ten projects overseen by the company, citing a “danger to the public.”
Italian-Thai Development released a statement to Thailand’s stock exchange on Jan. 15, noting that it had started the process of assessing damage and will take responsibility by providing compensation. Fortune has reached out to Italian-Thai Development for further comment.
The construction company is also linked to the collapse of a partially-constructed skyscraper in Bangkok last March, following a devastating earthquake in nearby Myanmar. The disaster killed almost 100 people.
Following the skyscraper incident, Premchai Karnasuta, the CEO of Italian-Thai Development, was indicted alongside 22 others, on charges including document forgery and professional negligence causing death. (Executives from China Railway No. 10, a Chinese state-owned construction firm that partnered with Italian-Thai Development, were also charged.)
