Construction, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Real Estate, Security

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 16:13

Death toll in Maxima supermarket tragedy in Riga increases to 25

BC, Riga, 22.11.2013.Print version
As of 9:30 a.m. this morning, 25 dead bodies have been recovered from the collapsed Maxima supermarket in the Riga suburb of Zolitude, LETA was told by State Police press representative Sigita Pildava.

Three of the deceased are firefighters.

 

35 people have been injured, of which 28 have been hospitalized, the Emergency Medical Service informed LETA.

 

Most of the injured persons are between the ages of 25 to 45, State Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele told LETA. Furthermore, it is not yet known how many people are still under the rubble of the building.

 

 It is not yet known how many people are still under the rubble of the collapsed Maxima supermarket in the Riga suburb of Zolitude, State Fire and Rescue Service Chief Oskars Abolins told Latvian Television (LTV) this morning.

 

Huge resources are being put into the rescue operation, as rescuers are doing everything they can to rescue the trapped persons.

 

Abolins believes that the rescue operation could continue for another 24 hours, or even longer.

 

As Abolins points out, the rescuers are working at a high risk object. The condition of the building is being evaluated on a constant basis, so to be sure that other areas of the building do not collapse on the rescuers. At the same time, rescuers are working at an intense level, and are changing shifts on a constant basis.

 

 

Rescue operation is continuing. The rescuers use machinery as well as shovels and bare hands to remove the rubble so as to not injure those who are still trapped inside and may be alive.

 

Maxima Latvija spokesman Janis Beseris told the business information portal Nozare.lv that there was some sort of sound signal before the collapse of the Maxima supermarket last night, but that the details will be determined during the investigation.

 

Beseris said that what kind of signal will be determined by the police investigation, and emphasized that the supermarket chain's representatives have been requested by police not to comment on unofficial information, so not to hinder the investigation.

 

Beseris could not say how many persons were working in the supermarket at the time of the collapse, but promised to release this information at a later time.

 

LETA also reported, the roof of the Maxima supermarket caved in Thursday evening. It is impossible to say at the moment how long the rescue operation will continue. It is also still unknown how many people may be still trapped underneath the rubble.

 






Search site