Cambodia building collapse: minister sacked, governor quits
June 24, 2019
The governor of Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province has stepped down after a seven-floor building collapsed. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has also fired a top safety official for "lack of responsibility."
Image: Getty Images/L. Lay
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Two days after a building under construction collapsed in Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province, the nation's Prime Minister Hun Sen has fired a top disaster management official and accepted the resignation of the provincial governor.
In a post on his Facebook page on Monday, Hun Sen said that Nhim Vanda, the deputy director of the National Committee on Disaster Management, had been sacked over a "lack of responsibility and for lying" about the disaster without elaborating.
He also said that Yun Min, governor of the Preah Sihanouk province, had submitted his resignation. High-level resignations over wrongdoing are rare in Cambodia.
Yun Min confirmed his resignation as part of an apology on Facebook, in which he asked forgiveness of citizens, civil servants and the military alike.
Two survivors found
A seven-floor building that was under construction collapsed on Saturday in the seaside resort town of Sihanoukville in southern Cambodia.
Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities on Monday said rescue workers had found two survivors and four bodies while digging through the rubble. The known death toll reached 28 on Monday, as authorities said not to expect more survivors.
Sihanoukville has seen a boom of Chinese-owned casinos and hotels, prompting concerns about construction and labor standards. Cambodia is notorious for lax safety laws and poor labor protections.
Hun Sen announced that he was establishing a special committee to oversee the construction of Chinese building projects in the town.
The deadliest bridge and building collapses
Bridges and buildings can be architectural marvels, but also lead to deadly disasters. These dilapidated or botched constructions turned out to be fatal.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Abdullah
Chirajara Bridge, Colombia
The Chirajara Bridge was intended to connect two tunnels between Bogota and Villavicencio. But as the two sections were being put together in January 2018 one of the pylons broke away, killing nine people. Investigators pointed to a construction error, which meant the other section was also in serious danger of collapsing. The bridge was ultimately blown up in July (pictured).
Image: picture-alliance/C. Contreras
Studenka Bridge, Czech Republic
Workers were renovating the Studenka Bridge in August 2008 when it suddenly collapsed. Just as it fell away, however, a speeding train was headed towards the scene of the accident. Traveling at 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph), the train plunged into rubble below. It remains unclear what exactly caused the collapse, but investigators have since found several faults in the construction.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Galgonek
Mississippi Bridge, USA
The 580-meter (1900 feet), eight-lane bridge in Minneapolis was a crucial artery between two city districts. Renovation work began just days before the collapse on August 1, 2007. Even though just one lane was open at the time, 13 people were killed in the accident. Investigators said a construction error led to the bridge caving in.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Smith
Sampoong Department Store, South Korea
It only took a matter of seconds for the Sampoong Department Store in Seoul to collapse in on itself on June 29, 1995, killing more than 500 people. A probe uncovered a spate of building violations: several regulations were ignored, the building was shoddily constructed and several of the wrong building materials were used.
Image: picture-alliance/Yonhap
Rana Plaza, Bangladesh
The collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh's Dhaka District marks the deadliest structural failure in modern history. The eight-story commercial building collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing 1,135 people. A day before, police had banned access after cracks were found in the structure. However, garment workers were still ordered to return the following day and were caught in the disaster.
