Tragedy in Latvia: Over 50 dead in roof collapse

Riga, Latvia

There is sad news from Mrs. Marathon Pundit's home country.

From AP:

As Latvian rescue workers searched Friday for bodies in the rubble of a supermarket collapse that killed dozens, speculation about the cause focused on a garden and a playground being installed on the grass- and gravel-covered roof.

The death toll from the Thursday evening rush-hour roof collapse at the Maxima supermarket in Latvia's capital had risen to at least 51, including three firefighters, police said.

Police opened a criminal investigation into the cause of the tragedy at the award-winning building - once vaunted as a place where high-rise residents could step out of their homes, stroll along a shady garden and pick up a couple of items for dinner.

Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs told reporters that large bags of construction materials and soil were left on a weak spot on the roof and could have caused the collapse. It had rained for days, leading to speculation that the soil had become soaked and weighed down.

This is the deadliest tragedy in the Baltic nation since it regained its Independence in 1991. The Latvian president has declared a three-day mourning period, which begins tomorrow.