Supermarket
collapse in Latvia takes 52 lives
Send a link to a friend
[November 23, 2013]
RIGA, Latvia (AP) — The death toll
from the collapse of a crowded Latvia supermarket roof has risen to 52
and the rescue operation has resumed after a temporary halt, rescue
workers said Saturday.
|
The roof fell Thursday evening in the Latvian capital of Riga as
customers were doing after-work shopping. Some 40 people were
wounded, including 13 firefighters, and 29 people were hospitalized
as of Saturday morning, the Fire and Rescue Service said.
It was the worst accident in the Baltic country since it regained
independence in 1991. The government has declared three days of
mourning.
Rescue service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele said some 300 square
meters (3,200 square feet) of ruins — approximately one-sixth of the
total damaged area — remained to be searched.
Sembele said there was a chance more victims could be found in the
remaining area, which is particularly dangerous because of the risk
of further collapse. Firefighters are working in decreased numbers
in that area to minimize the chance of injury.
Rescue workers decided to stop the operation early Saturday and
consult with engineers before continuing, she said.
Preliminary reports indicate the roof caved in due to either faulty
construction or building activities on the roof, where workers were
creating a garden area and children's playground for a new high-rise
residential building adjacent to the supermarket.
[to top of second column] |
Pictures show that a large amount of building materials, including
bags of soil for the garden, were left in areas of the roof that,
according to Riga city officials, could have been vulnerable to
heavy loads.
Police have launched an investigation, which could take several
weeks to complete.
[Associated
Press]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|