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Latvia mourns victims of Riga supermarket collapse | |
(about 9 hours later) | |
Latvians have begun three days of national mourning for 52 people who died when a supermarket in the capital Riga collapsed on Thursday. | |
Mourners have gathered at the site of the collapse, along with residents hoping for news of missing relatives. | |
Rescuers spent a second night scouring the debris but found no more survivors. | |
Officials say soil from a garden being built on the roof of the shop may have caused the collapse, the deadliest disaster in Latvia's modern history. | |
Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said the collapse had shattered Latvia, and announced three days of mourning starting on Saturday. | |
In our thoughts we are together with all those stricken by this tragedy," he said. | |
"No matter what the cause of the tragedy is, the number of victims is too big." | |
Many people went to the scene to lay flowers and light candles in commemoration of the dead, the BBC's Damien McGuinness in Riga reports. | |
Rescue teams have been working round the clock at the Maxima supermarket, digging in the wreckage of the single-storey concrete and glass building to see if anyone is still trapped inside. | |
They have been periodically turning off all their equipment and asking the families of missing people to phone their relatives so they can pinpoint the ring tones in the debris. | They have been periodically turning off all their equipment and asking the families of missing people to phone their relatives so they can pinpoint the ring tones in the debris. |
The initial collapse happened just before 18:00 (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, when the Maxima store was busy with customers. | The initial collapse happened just before 18:00 (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, when the Maxima store was busy with customers. |
About 20 minutes later another part of the roof caved in, trapping rescue workers who were trying to reach survivors. | About 20 minutes later another part of the roof caved in, trapping rescue workers who were trying to reach survivors. |
Witnesses said customers tried to run out after the first part of the roof collapsed but the supermarket's electronic doors closed, trapping them inside. | Witnesses said customers tried to run out after the first part of the roof collapsed but the supermarket's electronic doors closed, trapping them inside. |
Local media said the building, rented by the Maxima chain, had been awarded a national architecture prize when it was completed in 2011. | Local media said the building, rented by the Maxima chain, had been awarded a national architecture prize when it was completed in 2011. |
But a criminal inquiry will now investigate whether building regulations were broken. | |
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