Cambodia sacks minister over building collapse as toll rises to 28

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sacked a top disaster management official on Monday, saying he had failed to take responsibility for a Chinese-owned building under construction that collapsed on the weekend killing at least 28 people. Some 24 people were injured and many were feared still entombed in a mountain of twisted steel and rubble after the building came down early on Saturday in the coastal town of Sihanoukville. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the seven-storey steel and concrete structure to crumple without warning before dawn, trapping construction workers who were sleeping on the site. The port and resort town has seen a rush of Chinese investment in recent years, especially in the casino, property and tourism sectors, and questions have been raised about construction standards. Prime Minister Hun Sen fired Nhim Vanda, deputy director of the National Committee on Disaster Management, because of a “lack of responsibility, and for lying” over the disaster, Hun Sen said on his Facebook page. He did not elaborate.

Rescuers on Monday pulled two survivors from the rubble of a building that collapsed while under construction in a Cambodia beach town on Saturday, killing at least 28 workers as they slept in the unfinished condominium that was doubling as their housing.
The seven-story building collapsed early Saturday on top of the dozens of construction workers who were sleeping on the second floor. The condominium was being built in the thriving seaside resort town of Sihanoukville, which has several such Chinese-funded projects.
The Chinese Embassy expressed its condolences and said it was mobilising Chinese assistance for the rescue.
Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities said rescuers digging through the twisted metal and concrete rubble found five bodies overnight and two others on Monday, raising the toll to 26. Up to 75% of the debris had been removed from the site as of Monday morning.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen visited the site late Sunday. Pictures released by the provincial authorities showed him in front of the collapsed building talking to several government ministers involved in the rescue.
Hun Sen said on his Facebook page that he requested the resignation of the provincial governor, Yun Min, and that he had agreed.
Hun Sen also announced that he was establishing a special committee to oversee the quality of Chinese building projects in the town.

At least 24 workers were injured in the collapse. One of them, Nhor Chandeun, said he and his wife were sleeping when they heard a loud noise and felt the building vibrate then begin falling down. They were trapped for 12 hours before rescuers found them.
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said 30 workers were at the site when the building collapsed, but Nhor Chandeun said there were about 55 to 60 people inside the building.
Provincial authorities said in a statement that four Chinese nationals involved in the construction have been detained while the collapse is investigated.
The Chinese Embassy “supports a thorough investigation of the accident and necessary measures by competent Cambodian authority in accordance with the law,” the embassy said in a statement early Monday.

It said the embassy was greatly saddened by the collapse and had reached out to Chinese enterprises in Cambodia to mobilise personnel as well as heavy equipment like excavators to clear the rubble.