Cambodian rescuers combing through the rubble of a collapsed seven-storey building have recovered the bodies of 17 construction workers and pulled out 24 injured, as investigations into the incident continue.
Construction workers said the unfinished building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville doubled as their housing, with the crew spending nights on the second floor.
Nhor Chandeun said he and his wife were asleep when the building crumbled on top of them at around 4am on Saturday.
“All the workers were asleep,” the 31-year-old said from a hospital. “A moment before the building collapsed it was vibrating and then it was falling down. But it was too quick to escape.”
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said that 30 workers were at the site when the building collapsed, but Nhor Chandeun said there were about 55-60 people inside the building.
Yun Min, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the building was owned by a Chinese investor who leased land for a condominium – one of many Chinese projects in the thriving beach resort.
Provincial authorities said in a statement that four Chinese nationals involved in the construction have been detained while an investigation into the collapse is carried out.
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