MOSCOW — The roof of a supermarket crowded with after-work shoppers collapsed on Thursday evening in Riga, the capital of Latvia, killing at least 21 people and injuring and trapping dozens more, the Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service said.
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At least three of the dead were fire fighters who were involved in the rescue effort and were then caught in a secondary collapse, said Viktorija Sembele, a spokeswoman for the rescue service. She said that 28 of the injured had been hospitalized, including 10 fire fighters.
The incident happened at a Maxima supermarket in a residential neighborhood, west of the Daugava River in Riga, which is the biggest city in the Baltics and its biggest seaport.
Photographs of the scene showed tangles of debris and shattered glass piled outside the metal and glass building, which was surrounded by dozens of emergency vehicles. Officials said the initial collapse occurred at about 5:45 p.m., when the store was busy with shoppers heading home from work.
Local news reports said that the a garden was being constructed on the roof of the building and that the weight of soil may have contributed to the collapse. Officials said they were investigating the possibility of construction code violations.
An all-night rescue effort continued Friday morning, with workers using cranes and other equipment in an effort to clear away concrete and other debris in order to reach survivors. Ms. Sembele said that nearly 200 fire fighters were on the scene, along with dozens of other emergency workers.
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At least three of the dead were fire fighters who were involved in the rescue effort and were then caught in a secondary collapse, said Viktorija Sembele, a spokeswoman for the rescue service. She said that 28 of the injured had been hospitalized, including 10 fire fighters.
The incident happened at a Maxima supermarket in a residential neighborhood, west of the Daugava River in Riga, which is the biggest city in the Baltics and its biggest seaport.
Photographs of the scene showed tangles of debris and shattered glass piled outside the metal and glass building, which was surrounded by dozens of emergency vehicles. Officials said the initial collapse occurred at about 5:45 p.m., when the store was busy with shoppers heading home from work.
Local news reports said that the a garden was being constructed on the roof of the building and that the weight of soil may have contributed to the collapse. Officials said they were investigating the possibility of construction code violations.
An all-night rescue effort continued Friday morning, with workers using cranes and other equipment in an effort to clear away concrete and other debris in order to reach survivors. Ms. Sembele said that nearly 200 fire fighters were on the scene, along with dozens of other emergency workers.