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Authorities in Thailand are investigating possible factors that led to the devastating collapse of a Bangkok construction site, where dozens remained missing on Monday, three days after a massive earthquake centred in Myanmar.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.

Mitchell Starc claimed his first five-wicket haul in T20 cricket and Nitish Rana smashed a 36-ball 81 as Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals registered victories in the IPL on Sunday.Australian left-arm quick Starc returned figures of 5-35 as Delhi bowled out Hyderabad for 163, a target they overhauled with four overs and seven wickets to spare for their second straight win in this edition of the T20 tournament.In the second match of the day in Guwahati, Rana’s batting blitz helped Rajasthan to 182-9 and then kept down Chennai Super Kings to 176-6 for a six-run win – the team’s first after two losses.”Feels good,” said stand-in Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag. “Took some time, it was two games but felt long. Felt we were 20 short but the bowlers stepped up and executed our collective plans.”Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga returned figures of 4-35, delivering key blows against the Chennai batting order.The left-handed Rana put on 82 for the second wicket with Sanju Samson to lay the foundations of Rajasthan’s total.Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad broke the stand with the wicket of Samson, who is Rajasthan’s regular captain but playing only as a batsman due to an injury.Rana reached his fifty in 21 balls and bludgeoned the bowlers with 10 fours and five sixes in his stay at the crease. He was named player of the match.Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cut short Rana’s knock when he had the batsman stumped.Parag hit 37 off 28 balls before being bowled by Sri Lankan pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana.In Chennai’s reply, England pace bowler Jofra Archer struck in the first over to have Rachin Ravindra caught behind for a duck as he celebrated his first wicket this IPL season.Hasaranga then took control and got a wicket in each of his four overs and his final strike of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for 63 derailed the Chennai chase.- ‘No ego’ -Earlier in Delhi’s second home of Visakhapatnam, Starc struck early and twice in one over to send back Ishan Kishan and Nitish Reddy. He then got fellow Australian Travis Head caught behind for 22 as Hyderabad slipped to 37-4 in 4.1 overs.Indian batsman Aniket Verma, who top-scored with 74, and South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen then put on an attacking stand of 77 in an attempt to hit back.Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, claimed figures of 3-22 before Starc completed his five to wrap up the Hyderabad innings.”There’s no ego in bowlers these days,” said player of the match Starc. “As a bowler you’ve got to think out of the box. You need to do things you wouldn’t normally do. It was nice to contribute in the win today, we move forward from here.”In reply, South African veteran Faf Du Plessis came out firing in his 27-ball 50 as he smashed India fast bowler Mohammed Shami for a six and three fours in a 15-run third over to set up the chase.Delhi, under new skipper Axar Patel, have rebuilt the team in their hunt for a first IPL title and brought in England great Kevin Pietersen as mentor.

Nitish Rana’s batting blitz combined with a four-wicket haul by Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga led Rajasthan Royals to their first victory of this IPL season against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.Rajasthan depended on a 36-ball 81 by Rana to post 182-9 after being invited to bat first at their second home in Guwahati.Hasaranga then turned on the heat with his leg-spin to help restrict Chennai to 176-6 and a six-run win to bounce back from two losses in the T20 tournament.The left-handed Rana put on 82 for the second wicket with Sanju Samson to lay the foundations.Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad once again proved his worth as he broke the stand with the wicket of Samson, who is Rajasthan’s regular captain but playing only as a batsman due to an injury.Rana reached his fifty in 21 balls and bludgeoned the bowlers with 10 fours and five sixes in his stay at the crease.Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cut short Rana’s knock as he had the batsman stumped to check Rajasthan’s surge.Stand-in-skipper Riyan Parag hit 37 off 28 balls before being bowled by Sri Lankan pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana.Pace spearhead Khaleel Ahmed dismissed Jofra Archer for a duck for his second wicket.Noor and Pathirana both returned figures of 2-28.In Chennai’s reply, Archer struck in the first over to have Rachin Ravindra caught behind for a duck as he celebrated his first wicket this IPL season.Archer had a disastrous start to the tournament when he went for 76 in his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad for the league’s most expensive bowling figures ever.Hasaranga struck with his first ball to send back Rahul Tripathi before skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad attempted to put the chase on track in his 63 off 44 balls.Hasaranga claimed a wicket each in his next two overs including impact player Shivam Dube to dent the opposition chase but Gaikwad stood strong to reach his fifty.Hasaranga dismissed Gaikwad in his last over to return figures of 4-35.M.S. Dhoni attempted to see his team over the line in his late blitz of 16 but fell to a stunning catch in the deep by Shimron Hetmyer off Sandeep Sharma who defended 20 runs in the final over.Ravindra Jadeja hit a valiant 32 not out as Chennai suffered their second straight loss after they started the season with a win over Mumbai Indians.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc claimed his first five-wicket haul in T20 cricket to help Delhi Capitals down Sunrisers Hyderabad for their second straight win in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.Starc, a left-arm quick, returned figures of 5-35 as Delhi bowled out Hyderabad for 163 in 18.4 overs in their second home at Visakhapatnam.South African veteran Faf du Plessis then smashed 50 off 27 balls and put on 81 runs for the first wicket with Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who hit 38, as Delhi achieved their target with four overs and seven wickets to spare.Hyderabad’s innings started badly as Abhishek Sharma was run out early for one when he was involved in a mix-up with fellow opener Travis Head.Starc then struck twice in one over to send back Ishan Kishan and Nitish Reddy and then got fellow Australian Head caught behind for 22 as Hyderabad slipped to 37-4 in 4.1 overs.Indian batter Aniket Verma, who top-scored with 74, and South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen then put on an attacking stand of 77 in an attempt to hit back.Klaasen fell on 32 off 19 balls to Mohit Sharma, but Aniket kept up the charge in an eye-catching 41-ball knock laced with five fours and six sixes.Fraser-McGurk ended Aniket’s blitz with a stunning catch at deep mid-wicket when he timed his jump to pluck a travelling ball out of the air and hand spinner Kuldeep Yadav a prized wicket.Kuldeep, a left-arm wrist spinner, claimed figures of 3-22 before Starc completed his five to wrap up the Hyderabad innings.In reply, Du Plessis came out firing as he smashed India fast bowler Mohammed Shami for a six and three fours in a 15-run third over to set up the chase.Du Plessis fell after his 50 to Indian leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari who took a beating at the hands of Fraser-McGurk but hit back with his second wicket in the same over.Ansari later bowled KL Rahul round his legs before Abhishek Porel, on 34, and Tristan Stubbs, on 21, steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 51.Delhi, under new skipper Axar Patel, have rebuilt the team in their hunt for a first IPL title and brought in England great Kevin Pietersen as mentor.Hyderabad, winners in 2016 under David Warner, have two losses and one victory in three outings this season.

Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra overcame a rocky start to clinch the Hero Indian Open by two strokes on Sunday for his maiden DP World Tour title.Chacarra, 25, came into the final round as overnight leader but slipped after carding a double bogey on the first and a bogey at the third round at the DLF Golf and Country Club near New Delhi.But a burst of birdies at the sixth, ninth, 11th, 12th and 14th holes saw bounce back to open up a four-shot lead.Chacarra finished on four under par, two shots clear of Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who won the title last year, in second place. Joost Luiten of the Netherlands was another stroke back in third.”Man it was a tough day,” Chacarra said after the win. “We knew it was going to be a long day, going be a lot of pressure and I didn’t have the start that I really wanted.”Chacarra survived a late scare on the 17th hole when he found himself near the long grass after his second shot but escaped with a bogey.He closed his round with a par for a comfortable win in the end as he raised his hands to a cheering crowd.Chacarra was playing on a tournament invitation this week.”It means everything, I stayed patient,” he said. “I know when I play my best, I’m one of the best players in the world. I already proved that a million times.””I surround myself with good guys, have a good team. They trust me. My family probably didn’t sleep tonight. It’s just awesome. It is going to need to sink in, but really proud and I’m just, just happy.”Italy’s Andrea Pavan made Sunday a memorable day with a hole-in-one at the par-three 12th from 189 yards.

Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by Friday’s massive earthquake.The 7.7-magnitude quake that struck central Myanmar has killed more than 1,600 people and destroyed thousands of homes.But the bloody conflict sparked by the 2021 military coup has brought the country’s infrastructure, healthcare system and power network to their knees.Here are some of the challenges facing relief efforts in Myanmar:- Humanitarian crisis -The United Nations and aid agencies have warned that millions were already facing a dire humanitarian crisis before the quake, and are now in urgent need of yet more aid.Much of the country was already plagued by a punishing mix of conflict, poverty and instability after the civil war that left 3.5 million people displaced and smashed the economy.”We have estimated that 19.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and this is just before the earthquake,” said UN humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar Marcoluigi Corsi.”The situation will be further aggravated.”Before the quake, the World Food Programme (WFP) said more than 15 million out of a population of 51 million were unable to meet their daily food needs.Just two days after the quake, the UN said the aid effort was being hampered by a severe lack of medical supplies, while rescuers on the ground have pleaded for more equipment to comb ruined buildings for survivors.The quake also struck Myanmar at a time when US President Donald Trump has slashed jobs and funding to Washington’s foreign aid agency.Trump has promised US help but one million civilians in Myanmar face WFP aid cuts after he took an axe to the US Agency for International Development.Countries around the world have begun sending rescue teams and aid shipments.- Junta rule -The junta, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, has lost control of large parts of Myanmar throughout the conflict, though it remains in charge of major cities including Mandalay — the closest to the quake epicentre and worst hit. But many civil servants chose to switch sides following the military coup and join resistance to the junta.This loss of personnel has further weakened an already antiquated civil administration, making the management and distribution of relief efforts harder.In a sign of the enormity of the disaster — and perhaps in a tacit admission of the state’s inability to respond — Min Aung Hlaing issued a rare appeal for foreign aid on Friday.This marked a major shift from previous military rulers who shunned all international assistance. Poverty is rampant, the economy shattered, and international sanctions combined with the expense of fighting the civil war have drained the junta’s coffers.- Splintered control -Much of Myanmar is controlled by a shifting patchwork of junta forces, ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy partisans.The complex mosaic of control on the ground, often involving competing groups with different agendas, may further frustrate efforts to move relief resources to where they are needed around the country.Sagaing city — near the quake’s epicentre — has seen some of the heaviest fighting between junta forces and armed resistance groups.Ethnic armed groups, border militias and the military have all been vying for control of local resources, spurring fears there will be a similar tussle for aid.- Poor infrastructure -Myanmar’s infrastructure and medical system have been ravaged by the civil war.The junta has bombed hospitals in rebel-held areas and many doctors have abandoned government medical facilities to join the rebellion.The UN has said hospitals in Mandalay, Magway and the capital Naypyidaw “are struggling to cope with the influx of people injured”.The country was already beset by phone and internet blackouts but the quake has further hurt communications and the ability to direct aid to the most in need.Internet communications in Mandalay were patchy and land and air routes severely disrupted after the quake buckled roads.With many houses collapsed, the UN and other NGOs say solutions are needed for the many left homeless.

An American woman freed by the Taliban in Afghanistan celebrated her release, in a video shared Saturday by US President Donald Trump, in which she thanked him for helping secure her freedom.In a video shared on Trump’s Truth Social account, Faye Hall is seen smiling and in apparently good health, saying: “Thank you for bringing me home.”Hall, a British couple and their Afghan translator were detained on February 1 as they traveled to central Bamiyan province.Washington’s former envoy to Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Hall was in the care of the Qatari delegation in Kabul. “American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home,” Khalilzad, who has been part of a US delegation working on Taliban hostage releases, wrote on X.While at the Qatari embassy, Hall “has been confirmed in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks,” according to a source with knowledge of the release.She was released on Thursday following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar, the source added.In the video promoted by Trump’s account, Hall said she was proud to be a US citizen and urged support for Afghan women held in Taliban jails.”Thank you, Mr President,” she said. “And I just want you to know, all the women in the Afghan jail, they always ask me, ‘When is Trump coming?’ You, truly, they just treat you like their savior. They’re waiting for you to come and set them free.”In the post accompanying the video, Trump said: “Thank you Faye — So honored with your words!”Hall, identified by the Taliban’s interior ministry as Chinese-American, was detained along with Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, as they travelled to the British couple’s home in central Bamiyan province. Their Afghan translator was also arrested.Taliban officials have refused to detail the reasons for their arrest, but one report said Hall had been detained on charges of using a drone without authorization.- Hopes for ‘new chapter’ -Khalilzad had been in the Afghan capital earlier this month on a rare visit by US officials to meet Taliban authorities, accompanying US hostage envoy Adam Boehler. Following their visit, the Taliban government announced the release of US citizen George Glezmann after more than two years of detention, in a deal brokered by Qatar.He and Hall are among several Americans to be released from Taliban custody this year. In January, two Americans detained in Afghanistan — Ryan Corbett and William McKenty — were freed in exchange for an Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States. At least one other US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is still held in Afghanistan.The British couple detained with Hall remain in Taliban custody.Their daughter has expressed grave fears for her father’s health and appealed to the Taliban authorities to free them. The Reynolds, who married in Kabul in 1970, have run school training programs in the country for 18 years.They remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 when the British embassy withdrew its staff. The government in Kabul is not recognized by any country, but several, including Russia, China and Turkey, have kept their embassies open in the Afghan capital. Qatar, too, has maintained diplomatic channels with the Taliban and has facilitated negotiations for the release of US hostages.Since Trump’s reelection, the Kabul government has expressed hopes for a “new chapter” with Washington.

Fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each as Gujarat Titans thrashed IPL powerhouse Mumbai Indians by 36 runs for their first win this season on Saturday.Gujarat rode on Sai Sudharsan’s 63 off 41 balls to post 196-8 after being invited to bat first at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.Siraj then led the bowling charge to limit the opposition to 160-6 as five-time winners Mumbai went down to their second straight loss in the 18th edition of the T20 tournament.Siraj removed the Mumbai openers to dent the chase and Krishna hurt the middle-order to return figures of 2-18.Krishna, a fast-medium bowler who has played three Tests, 17 ODIs and five T20s for India, was named player of the match.”I was itching to bowl. We were sitting and watching how the first innings went. So we understood that cutters into the wicket were working well,” he said.Mumbai’s former captain Rohit Sharma started on the front foot with two successive boundaries but Siraj had the last laugh as he bowled the opener for eight on the fourth ball.Siraj was on fire when he bowled South African wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton for six as the left-hander got an inside edge on to his stumps.Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav attempted to rebuild in a third-wicket stand of 62 until Krishna struck to remove Varma for 39.Suryakumar hit 48 and smashed four sixes in an attempt to keep up with the ever-increasing scoring rate and along with skipper Hardik Pandya looked to pull things back.But the bowling remained disciplined and Krishna got his reward with Suryakumar’s wicket and South African quick Kagiso Rabada dismissed Pandya, for 11, as the chase fizzled out.- ‘Not professional’ -“Tough to put it together, I think in batting and bowling we were 15-20 runs short in both places,” said Pandya.”We were not professional in the field, we made basic errors and that cost us 20-25 runs and in a T20 game that is quite a lot.”Earlier, Gujarat openers Sudharsan and Shubman Gill started cautiously before the two hammered 35 runs across overs five and six.Returning Pandya cut short skipper Gill’s knock on 38 when he had the attacking opener caught at deep square leg to end a 78-run opening stand.Pandya missed his team’s opening loss due a suspension from the previous edition when he was charged for a slow-over rate offence. He returned figures of 2-29 with his pace bowling. The left-handed Sudharsan built another key stand with England’s Jos Buttler, who kept up the charge with regular boundaries as he hit 39 off 24 balls.Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Buttler, caught behind as the Gujarat bowlers hit back.Pandya dismissed the big-hitting Shahrukh Khan for nine and West Indies left-hander Sherfane Rutherford fell to seam bowler Deepak Chahar for 18.Sudharsan held firm in a middle-order stutter and reached his fifty before New Zealand left-arm quick Trent Boult trapped the batsman lbw.Disciplined bowling denied Gujarat a big finish in the final few overs but the total proved enough for the team’s first win in two matches.

French tourist Augustin Gus was shopping for a t-shirt in one of Bangkok’s many malls when a massive quake began shaking the building in the Thai capital.”Just when I left the elevator, the earth starts moving. I thought it was me… it was not me,” the 23-year-old told AFP.”Everyone was screaming and running, so I started screaming as well.”The powerful 7.7-magnitude quake struck Friday afternoon in neighbouring Myanmar, where over 1,000 people have been killed and several cities face large-scale destruction.The damage and toll was far smaller in Bangkok, with 10 people confirmed dead so far, most in the collapse of an under-construction skyscraper.For many tourists who flocked to the popular destination, the quake was a disconcerting experience.Some were lazing in rooftop pools when the powerful shaking began to slop the water off the edge of high-rise buildings.Others were left stranded in the streets with their luggage when the city’s metro and light-rail system shut down for safety checks after the quake.The city’s residents, unused to earthquakes, were not able to offer much guidance, said one business traveller from the Solomon Islands, who asked not to be named.”Unfortunately there were no procedures in place” during his evacuation from the 21st floor of a Bangkok skyscraper on Friday.”So everyone was getting confused,” he said. “I just wanted to get out.” Cristina Mangion, 31, from Malta, was in her hotel bed when the shaking began.”I thought I was feeling dizzy from the heat,” she told AFP.Hotel staff came to knock at the doors of each room to offer help, and Mangion’s father quickly messaged to check she was okay.- Soldiering on -Despite the experience Mangion and Gus were among the tourists out on Saturday at the sprawling Chatuchak market.The popular tourist draw is not far from the scene of the deadly building collapse, and market security guard Yim Songtakob said crowds were thinner than usual.”That’s normal… people are scared,” said the 55-year-old, who has worked at the market for a decade.Still, Mangion said she would not be deterred by the tremors.”I feel bad for what happened,” she said. “I think the best thing is to actually come here and… really help the locals with their business anyway because this weekend will probably be harder than usual for business.”Gus also said he was not worried about enjoying the rest of his three-week trip.”I’ll still have great memories, it’s just an experience and that’s why I’m travelling,” he said.Frenchman Gilles Franke, a regular visitor to Thailand who hopes to one day retire in the country, was equally sanguine about the risk of aftershocks.”When it’s your time, it’s your time,” the 59-year-old told AFP.”You can die when you cross the road, you can die at any time in your life.”

Beneath basketball hoops and beside football goals, hospital beds line a sports hall — patients evacuated from a hospital in the Thai capital for fear of damage by a devastating earthquake.The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck central Myanmar on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock — with powerful tremors shaking Bangkok, more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) to the south.When the earthquake struck, patients at Rajavithi Hospital were rushed out of the building, some helped down stairs to nearby makeshift shelters, including to the hospital’s canteen and sports hall.The worst impact was in Myanmar, where the junta said at least 1,002 people were killed and nearly 2,400 injured.Around 10 more deaths have been confirmed in Bangkok, where the Friday lunchtime tremors shook buildings and created panic on the streets.The construction site of a new 30-storey government building quickly turned into a disaster scene, with people jumping into cars to escape or shrieking as they fled on foot.Dramatic video footage showed the tremor rocking a high-rise hotel, with water from its rooftop pool whipping over the building’s edge.- Fear -At the hospital, staff rushed to take the patients outside.One patient, being treated for leukaemia, told AFP that she was moved from her private room to a hall in Rajavithi Hospital, walking down multiple flights of stairs aided by nurses.”I need to receive my blood platelets soon, and the hospital is currently checking which other hospital can provide the treatment,” she said, asking not to be named.Some were later moved back inside, while others were transferred to different hospitals this morning, a hospital staff member said.On Saturday, around 30 patients were in the hall, where hospital staff provided basic medical care including blood transfusions.Many Bangkok residents were terrified, remaining fearful about aftershocks.Some chose to sleep outside under trees in open spaces in Bangkok, or popped up tents in the park for the night. Others came out to help.Panadda Wongphudee, an actor and a former Miss Thailand who often takes part in volunteer activities, handed out refreshments to rescue workers.