Toll of Collapse Rises to 12

The death toll has risen to 12 in the collapse of an unfinished four-story building, officials said Sun­day.

Dy Sina, 37, whom rescue workers pulled from the rubble early Tuesday shortly after the collapse, died at Calmette hospital Friday after three days of treatment, Mancheay district Deputy Governor Ou Maret said.

So far, five women and seven men have died as a result of the collapse. One woman remains missing and is presumed dead, Ou Maret said.

“Now we are knocking down the building step-by-step so we can find the dead woman,” Ou Maret said.

He added that rescue workers are worried that dismantling the building too quickly might bring down adjoining buildings.

Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara said he intends to arrest the building’s owner, Mean Hour, and bring criminal charges against him as a result of the collapse. Local authorities say they had told Mean Hour the structure was not stable.

Chea Sophara said he wants Mean Hour to surrender and to help cover funeral costs for the victims.

Meanchey district police officer Hun Cham Thouen said Mean Hour’s family has agreed to give 100,000 riel (about $26) to the  families of each victim to help pay for cremations.

 

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