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The death toll from a supermarket roof collapse in Latvia reached 49, with 30 people still trapped. EPA
Latvia is mourning its dead after rescuers spent a second night looking for survivors in the rubble of a Riga supermarket whose roof collapsed, killing at least 52.
The latest body was hauled out at dawn and hopes of finding anyone alive were dwindling nearly two days after the worst disaster since Latvia's 1991 independence.
The small Baltic state of two million began three days of official grieving over the Thursday tragedy as officials began probing the causes of Europe's third worst roof disaster in 30 years.
"The latest body was found this morning at 6am, bringing the total to 52, including two bodies that are still unidentified," said police spokesman Toms Sadovskis.
Rescuers continued to comb the mangled Maxima supermarket's wreckage of steel and concrete as morning mists rose after a second night of work in near-zero temperatures.
Riga mayor Nils Usakovs said on Friday five people were feared trapped inside but it was unclear how many were still believed to be missing on Saturday.
Forty people survived the catastrophe, according to rescue services.
A ring of thousands of glowing candles and heaps of flowers decked the perimeter crash barriers surrounding the disaster site, placed by a constant stream of shell-shocked members of the public.
Flags were being flown from houses across the country with a black sash attached - a traditional sign of mourning.
Just days after November 18 independence celebrations, the tragedy snuffed out an upbeat mood in Latvia, with 2014 set to mark its entry in the eurozone and showcase Riga as the European capital of culture.
Child Protection Inspectorate director Laila Rieksta-Riekstina told Latvian Radio on Saturday that "16 children lost one parent and one child has unfortunately lost both parents" in the tragedy.
The website of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) paid tribute to three firefighters who were among the dead, describing them as "more like family members than colleagues".
Books of condolence have been opened at Latvian embassies abroad including Russia, Poland, the USA, Canada, Britain and Ireland while world leaders have also expressed sympathy.
A disaster fund set up for the victims has already collected 86,000 lats ($A176,755) from public donations, the Ziedot charity announced on Saturday morning, with central government and Riga city council both promising compensation to victims.
Part of the roof of the Maxima supermarket crashed down during peak shopping hours around 6pm on Thursday, in the Zolitude district of the Latvian capital, with a second collapse crushing to death rescuers who had already entered the building.
Latvia will also observe a moment of silence on Monday while police probe what caused the cave-in at the two-year old supermarket.
Speculation has centred on plans to build a rooftop garden and the possibility that building regulations may not have been followed in full.
A photograph published by Latvia's Diena daily on Friday showed an aerial view of the roof prior to the collapse, covered in soil, shrubbery, a children's playground and construction material.
Run by the Lithuanian-owned Maxima chain - Latvia's number two retailer after Rimi - the supermarket was built in 2011 and was named one of the country's top three architecture projects that year.
Fifty-four people have been killed and dozens injured after the roof of a large store collapsed in Latvia’s capital, Riga. Latvian President Andris Bеrzins called for an immediate investigation into what he called the “murder of unprotected people.”
As three days of national mourning for the victims of the collapse began Saturday, rescuers continued searching for up to 13 people who may still be trapped in the rubble of the Maxima XX store in Riga’s Zolitude residential neighborhood. Two days after the collapse, no survivors have yet been rescued from the rubble in what has been described as the deadliest such incident in the Baltic state.
Some 500 square meters of roof caved in at the store’s building on Thursday night, trapping 70 people, according to Riga’s mayor Nils Ušakovs. The initial collapse in Riga’s densely populated area was followed by a second cave-in just as the first responders at the scene were helping the victims. Three rescuers and firefighters were killed by the second collapse.
Latvian President Andris Bērziņš has called for an immediate investigation into the disaster, saying that it should be treated as “the murder of many unprotected people” in comments to local broadcaster LTV. Bērziņš lashed out at the construction firm that was building a residential compound that included the store, saying that it was already trying to shun all responsibility for the collapse.
The Maxima shopping mall on Priedaines Street in Riga after its roof caved in. (RIA Novosti/Oksana Dzhadan)
The government should also take part of the blame for the tragedy as it failed to provide for its citizens’ safety, one of the fundamental human rights, Latvian ombudsman Juris Janson said Saturday.
“I think that discussions on liability are unnecessary. The law proves that the state should bear responsibility for such tragedies,” Janson said.
Two Russian citizens, a man and a woman, were among the victims of the Maxima store collapse, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday. Both had Latvian residence permits. A female Armenian citizen was also killed in the disaster, the ministry said.
At least one child has suffered a moderate head injury and has been hospitalized along with dozens of victims, RIA Novosti reports. Latvia will be in official mourning from November 23-25.
While the cause is currently unknown, Riga Vice Mayor Andry Ameriks refuted earlier eyewitness reports of an explosion and attributed the incident to a likely construction fault.
“Probably, mistakes were made by construction workers, which led to the collapse of the building,” Ameriks said. “The building collapsed completely. Now, all the rescue services are working at the scene. The most important thing now are the lives of the people.”
Maxima shopping center on Priedaines Street in Riga after its roof caved in. (RIA Novosti / Oksana Dzhadan)
A total of 400 people were working at the scene including local and state police, some local home guards and at least 17 units of medics as well as 13 fire brigades. Soldiers of the National Armed Force also helped look for the victims with dog units. Another 40 soldiers were sent from the army garrison, local media reports.
Council official Juris Radzevics confirmed that the roof of the supermarket, built in 2011, was in the process of being turned into a green area.
"The project was submitted in accordance with all regulations but of course we will be looking at whether materials and work were [of] the proper standards," Mr Radzevics told Latvian television.
Police are looking into several possible reasons for one of the worst building collapses in the Latvian capital:
Constructions work on the roof, as witnesses told the media, a winter garden was been built there; secondly, faults in the building’s original design; and builders using the roof to keep building materials, which then collapsed because of the excess weight.
