12 dead after Latvian supermarket collapse

12 dead after Latvian supermarket collapse

PanARMENIAN.Net - A major rescue operation is under way in the Latvian capital Riga after the roof of a store packed with shoppers caved in. Rescue teams are searching among the rubble of a Latvian supermarket which collapsed and killed at least 12 people. Fire trucks and ambulances remain at the scene of the Maxima shopping center, and rescue workers are using mechanical cutters to clear debris from the single-storey concrete and glass building, Sky News reported.

"Up to 6am (local time) 12 people have been found dead, three of them were state fire and rescue service officials," Latvian rescue services spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele said.

The roof of the supermarket collapsed on Thursday, Nov 21, evening when the store was busy with shoppers on their way home from work. Rescue workers were called to the store, situated in the midst of grey, Soviet-era housing in a suburb of the capital Riga.

Several people were injured by a second collapse caused by the building's weakened structure. It is unclear how many people remained trapped in the ruined store.

RIA Novosti quoted Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs as saying 70 people are still in the building.

Rescue services said 36 injured people had been rescued and police sniffer dogs were searching for people still trapped. Seven of the injured and three of the dead were firefighters.

More than 60 soldiers were helping with the rescue effort, the army said on its official Twitter feed.

Latvian TV said three cranes are working to remove concrete blocks from the roof so that rescuers could get to those inside, but firefighters feared another collapse.

Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis told Latvian TV that the rescue work would probably go on for many hours. "It is clear that there has been a problem with fulfillment of construction requirements," Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis told Latvian TV by telephone.

The police have launched an investigation into the collapse.

Photo: Reuters
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