Police have barred 24 employees of Samsung C&T from leaving Vietnam while an investigation is underway into the collapse of a 30m scaffold in Ha Tinh Province that killed 13 workers and injured 28 others.
Collapsed scaffold
All employees are reportedly South Koreans working at Samsung C&T in Vietnam, a subsidiary of Samsung Group and the labour supply company on the project.
Colonel Phan Ke Hien from Ha Tinh's police department said, "The office of Samsung C&T in Vietnam has 24 employees. We've been taking testimony from them for the last three days. In order to keep the investigation continue smoothly, we asked Samsung C&T to keep its employees in Vietnam for the time being."
Meanwhile, the police is also taking statements from surviving workers. Among three workers who were working directly with the hydraulic brake system, one died and another is being treated for severe injuries. Hien said the third worker was able to provide crucial information.
He said even though the majority of experts agree the collapse was triggered because of an unstable hydraulic brake system, the precise cause of the failure had yet to be determined.
The 30m-high scaffold collapsed on the night of March 25 in Vung Ang Economic Zone. The workers are Vietnamese hired to work on a seaport breakwater project. It was unclear how many workers were on the scaffold when it collapsed. However, some workers said about 100 people were at the site, with more than 40 on the scaffold itself.
Hundreds of soldiers, police, rescue force and doctors were mobilised to search for and treat survivors, with scores rushed to neighbouring hospitals with critical injuries. Surviving workers said they were ordered to continue working despite the structure shaking before it fell.
Dang Quoc Khanh, vice chairman of Ha Tinh People's Committee, said, "This is a serious accident that caused great consequences. If there is any evidence to prosecute the case, we will do it."