Arup asked to help investigate Latvian supermarket collapse

Structural engineers at Arup have been approached by the Latvian authorities after an appeal was made for international expertise by the country’s president following last week’s collapse of a supermarket which killed 54 people.

Earlier this week, Andris Berzins described the tragedy in the capital Riga, as “murder” and “our own made disaster” and called for help from foreign companies to investigate why the building collapsed.

Sources close to Arup said its office in Moscow had been approached for assistance, something the company confirmed but declined to comment further on.

Yesterday (Wednesday), the tragedy brought about the fall of the Latvian government when Latvia’s PM Valdis Dombrovskis announced his resignation, saying the government took “political responsibility”.

At the time of the collapse, a garden and children’s playground were under construction on the supermarket’s roof. Latvian officials have speculated that the structure may not have been strong enough to support the additional weight.