KEP, Cambodia, Jan 4 (NNN-AKP) – Six Cambodian workers died and 16 others injured, after a six-floor guesthouse building, under construction, collapsed, in southwestern Cambodia’s Kep province, on Friday, a provincial spokesman said today (Saturday).
“Twenty-two people were pulled out of the debris, but six of them died,” Kep Provincial Information Department director and spokesman, Ros Udong, said, adding, the victims are between 15 and 56 years old.
He said, rescue is still going on as witnesses reportedly said that between 20 and 30 people, including a foreman, were in the building when it collapsed.
The accident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. at an under-construction six-story building in Kep city, he said, adding that, the building came down when workers were constructing the seventh floor.
Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, visited the site on Friday night and led the rescue team to search for the workers, who are still trapped under the collapsed building.
Excavators and cranes are used to remove the debris, and ambulances were on standby to carry victims, as relatives of the missing cried and prayed for their missing members.
Chhun Tith, head of the firefighting bureau in Kep province, said, more than 1,000 rescuers, including Chinese, take part in the rescue operation.
“About 90 percent of the building was completed when it collapsed,” he said, adding that, the construction of the building started in Aug, 2018.
He said, Ek Sarun, the Cambodian owner of the collapsed building, was detained for questioning.
An official at the Kep Provincial Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction said, the building’s owner applied for a license to construct a five-story building, but he illegally built it up to seven floors.
“This is perhaps the main cause of the collapse,” he said, while visiting the collapsed building.
Located about 160 km southwest of the capital, Phnom Penh, the coastal province of Kep is an emerging tourist destination, and the tiny province is known for its seafood and tropical islands.– NNN-AKP
