The Department of Special Investigation has arrested a Chinese executive of the construction company that was building the State Audit Office tower in Bangkok, where dozens of people died when it collapsed during the March 28 earthquake.

Zhang Chuanling was arrestedy at a hotel in the Ratchadaphisek area of Bangkok on Saturday, the DSI said.

He is one of four people sought on arrest warrants for being nominees of China Railway No.10 (Thailand) Co (CREC).

The three others are Thai nationals: Manas Sri-anan, Prachuap Sirikhet and Sophon Meechai, the DSI said.

The four were listed as executives of the Thai subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned construction firm, which was in a joint venture with Italian-Thai Development Plc. The two contractors were building the 30-storey State Audit Office building in Chatuchak district of Bangkok.

A search is under way for the three other Thai executives.

Investigations by other agencies are also continuing into a variety of issues, including the suspected use of nominees and substandard steel in the construction of the building.

At the collapse site, rescue teams are now focusing on clearing rubble around the lift shaft, where the bodies of around 30 missing people are expected to be found.

Several more bodies were recovered on Friday, raising the death toll to 47, with another 47 people still missing.