International construction experts asked to help investigate the collapse of a supermarket in Riga that has killed 54.
The president of Latvia has appealed for help from international construction experts following the collapse of a supermarket in the country’s capital Riga on Thursday last week.
Andris Berzins described the tragedy, which has so far claimed the lives of 54 people, as “our own made disaster” and called for help from foreign companies to investigate why the building collapsed.
Berzins told state broadcaster LTV: “While not undermining the professionalism of our builders, I believe that we should call upon international expertise which is in no way connected with our construction business.
“We cannot call it a natural accident, because nature wasn’t involved. The evening was calm and silent with a little fog. This is our own made disaster.”
He added that an investigation into incident should be held at “maximum speed”.
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.
According to local media, the building was awarded an architectural award when it was completed in 2011.
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