Death toll at least 31 in Moscow market collapse
The concave, snow-covered roof of a three-decade-old Moscow market collapsed early today, killing at least 31 people and trapping about 10.
Twenty-five people were injured, said Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov.
About 10 people were trapped under the wreckage, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
Some of those under the rubble were alive, Shoigu said at the scene: “They’re knocking and crying out.”
A duty officer at the Emergency Situations Ministry said the toll could have been worse had the collapse occurred while the market was open for retail business.
Investigators were looking at three possible causes of the collapse: improper maintenance of the building, a build-up of snow, and errors in the building’s design, the Interfax news agency said.
Snow had fallen for much of the day yesterday and overnight.
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov ruled out terrorism as a possible cause, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
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