7-story building collapse in Cambodia

A 7-story building that was under construction collapsed in Cambodia on January 3, 2019, resulting in 2 fatalities.

The incident occurred in the city of Kep which is located in southwest Cambodia. The structure was meant to be a hotel but it suddenly collapsed at about 4:30 pm local time.

According to Nguon Samet, deputy police chief for Kep province, the structure gave way while workers were pouring concrete on the building's top level.

Many people were trapped under the rubble and rescue operations immediately began. According to reports, 15 injured people have been pulled out of the debris by the rescue teams while 2 were found dead. "We pulled out 17 people, including one dead man and woman," Ken Satha, governor of Kep, stated.

Some of the victims suffered minor injuries while others are in critical condition. 

The owner of the building remains unknown while the causes of the collapsed have not been investigated yet. Currently, officials focus on rescue operations. "Now, we focus on rescuing people," Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, stated. Mr. Sen also mentioned that he would go to Kep province to lead the rescue operations.

Similar incidents are common in Cambodia as building regulations are inadequate and the country is currently experiencing a construction boom. Moreover, according to the International Labour Organization, there are about 200,000 construction laborers in Cambodia and most of them are considered unskilled, unaware of safety precautions and generally not protected by unions.

In Summer 2019, another 7-story building collapsed in the city of Sihanoukville resulting in at least18 casualties. In December 2019, a temple gave way killing at least 3 people and injuring 13 more.