Four Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly removing paperwork from the rubble of a building in Thailand that collapsed during an earthquake.

The four suspects were reportedly spotted scouring the ruins of the high-rise State Audit Office building in Bangkok on March 29.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar a day earlier, causing the structure to collapse and killing at least 17 workers.

Police said the Chinese men were seen taking several documents from the site, which was sealed off from public access after it was declared a disaster zone by authorities.

The cops tracked down and detained one of the Chinese men, who claimed to be the project manager for a building construction. A subsequent operation led to the arrest of the other suspects.

They were all found to have valid travel documents and work permits, and were employed by a joint venture with local firm Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited and the Chinese Communist government.

Questions are now being asked about alleged corruption and cost-cutting in the construction of the office and apartment block.

An anti-corruption watchdog had earlier flagged alleged irregularities in the construction of the building.

David Zhang, a commentator on the abuses of the Communist rogue state, described the collapsed office tower as a 'tofu dreg', as it was the only building in Thailand to crumble.

He said: 'It just crumbles, there's really no structure to speak of. Not even any physical resistance seems to have been added to the material there.'

The China expert explained that the Communist government's local subsidiary working on the building was China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Co., Ltd., which is owned by the China Railway Group Limited, which is itself a subsidiary of the state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation.

Police Major General Noppasin Poonsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said: 'During initial questioning, the four individuals claimed they entered the area to retrieve documents for an insurance claim. They said the documents were stored in a container at the site, which was being used as a temporary office by the company. However, they did not have permission to access the area.

'The suspects were identified as subcontractors working under the Italian-Thai Development Group.

'Investigators are now examining the seized documents to determine if they are linked to the building's collapse. All relevant parties will be summoned for further questioning, and coordination with the authorities is ongoing.'

Police said they will proceed with legal action against the four Chinese nationals for allegedly violating the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act. A fifth Chinese man who claims to be their employer was being investigated, authorities added.

Police Lieutenant General Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said: 'The Bangkok governor will oversee the rescue operation, while the police will be responsible for investigating the injured and deceased. We will prepare the investigation report and determine the cause of death—whether it resulted from someone's actions or negligence.

'Regarding the documents seized from the four Chinese nationals, we will summon engineers to assist with the review.'

The US Geological Survey said the tremor struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), and was centred in Myanmar, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Monywa.

Residents ran from their homes when they felt the tremors at around 1:20 pm local time. More than 1,700 people in the country have been killed and some 4,000, with rescue efforts ongoing.

The quake destroyed buildings, bridges, and dams, leaving many areas in ruins. Communication remains difficult as mobile networks are down, and access to electricity and the internet is limited.

In neighbouring Thailand, high-rise buildings shook and an apartment block under construction collapsed in Bangkok. At least 17 workers were killed.