One was killed and seven others sustained serious injuries following a construction accident at a hotel in the central province of Ha Tinh around 3 pm on Sunday afternoon.
One of the victims is being carried out from the debris.
Local people said the lobby of Sailing Tower Hotel in Ha Tinh City, the provincial capital, suddenly fell down when eight workers were doing the building work on it.
The workers were right away buried under the concrete construction.
Seven of them were pulled out alive from the wreckage after 5 hour rescue efforts by local authorities. They were immediately sent to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
The other, 42-year-old Le Thi Mai from Loc Ha District, could not survive the accident. Hospital doctors say she died of suffocation and multiple injuries.
The hotel, which is developed by Hai Linh Join Stock Company based in the province, is a component of Sailing Tower which has eight floors and is still under construction.
Preliminary investigation has shown reckless construction might have caused the disaster. The scaffolding the workers used during the construction process was made mostly of wood and bamboo trees while little steel was found inside the four collapsed pillars that support the lobby roof.
Tran The Dung, chairman of the Ha Tinh People’s Committee, said this is a serious accident and the developer did make some mistakes during the building process.
Here is the list of the injured, all of whom are locals:
1. Vo Thi Hien, 35 years old
2. Nguyen Van Dong, 46
3. Nguyen Huy Thach, 33
4. Nguyen Thanh Binh, 48
5. Nguyen Dinh Dien, 44
6. La Van Chinh, 33
7. Dang Thanh Que, 46
Some more photos of the accident:
Many surround the collapse scene at Sailing Tower Hotel.
Locals are trying to push a truck in a bid to remove the ruins to help rescue the victims.
Rescue efforts by local armed forces
The injured at Ha Tinh Hospital
Many still gathered at the scene at 9 pm when local authorities ceased their search attempts.
