Latvia Supermarket Collapse Kills At Least 48 [Video]

In Latvia, a supermarket roof collapse killed at least 48 people and the death toll continues to climb. The tragic incident took place in the Latvian capital, Riga, on Thursday. Since then, emergency responders have led rescue efforts to find trapped victims and recover the dead. So far six unidentified bodies have been pulled from the supermarket.

The roof collapse happened Thursday afternoon as the store filled with shoppers in a typical post-work rush. The number killed in the accident continues to climb, already making the Latvia supermarket collapse the worst such accident since the nation gained independence in 1991, according to CNN News.

The accident became especially deadly after rescue workers were caught in a secondary collapse, killing at least three firefighters, reports New York Times. An official involved with rescue efforts said that as of Friday, 28 injured people were taken to hospitals, with at least 10 firefighters among them. Despite their rescue operations, at least 20 people are still trapped in the collapsed supermarket.

As responders work through the collapsed supermarket rubble, officials say they expect the death toll to rise. Authorities are also working to identify those bodies that have been recovered. They have urged anyone with missing family members to contact emergency services.

Officials in Latvia say they wish to refrain from speculating on the cause of the accident, but they vow to hold an investigation into the incident. Authorities are probing to see if the supermarket had been in violation of construction codes. So far, local news reports have suggested that a garden being built on the supermarket’s roof played a role in the collapse.

Almost 200 firefighters and dozens of other emergency responders are still on the scene Friday. The collapsed supermarket in Latvia was part of the Maxima store chain. This store is in a Riga residential neighborhood west of the Daugava River.

[Featured Image via Twitter]