36 killed in Cambodia after building collapses

This appeared in The Millennial Source

At least 36 people have been killed and 23 more were injured when a seven-story concrete building collapsed on January 3 in Cambodia. The incident took place in the coastal town of Kep, about 160 km (100 miles) southwest of the capital Phnom Penh.

A statement from Kep provincial authorities said that at least 14 women and six children are among the dead.

It is common in Cambodia and Thailand for women to be employed as construction workers. Families of workers would also often live at the construction sites for the duration of the construction. Kep Governor Ken Satha said that the owners of the building, a Cambodian couple, have been detained and questioned.

Government response to the tragedy

Prime Minister Hun Sen said that no officials will be fired as a result of the collapse. “Building collapses don’t only happen in Cambodia. They happen elsewhere including in the United States,” Hun Sen said. Hun Sen continued to say that the building collapsed because the construction work failed to adhere to safety standards.

In standard construction practice, plywood which is usually placed underneath the concrete separating each floor is supposed to remain for…