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Death Toll in Latvia Roof Collapse Exceeds 50

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Rescuers work at the Maxima grocery store after its roof collapsed in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 21, 2013.
Rescuers work at the Maxima grocery store after its roof collapsed in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 21, 2013.
Latvian authorities say the death toll in the collapse of the roof of a crowded supermarket now exceeds 50, including three firefighters.

Rescuers spent Friday looking through the rubble of the Maxima supermarket in Riga. They stopped working at various times to try and pinpoint mobile phones they could hear ringing under the wreckage.

Police say they have opened a criminal investigation into why the roof fell on shoppers Thursday night with little warning. Another part of the roof caved in hours later, trapping rescue workers.

Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis said construction code violations may have played a part. Workers were building a rooftop garden and playground on the supermarket.




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