Phnom Penh, June 25 (IANS) Four Chinese nationals were charged by a Cambodian court on Tuesday in connection with a building collapse that killed 28 people and injured 26 in the seaside city of Sihanoukville.
Building owner Cheng Kun, head of the construction project Deng Xin Gui, contractor Gao Yu and project supervisor Xie Ya Ping were charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Sihanoukville provincial court, according to the government-aligned Fresh News.
The four are being held in pre-trial detention.
Another three are also charged in connection with the incident, but have not yet been arrested, Efe news reported.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday announced $80,000 for each of the families of those killed and $10,000 for each of the injured from a fund pooled by donors, the King and Queen Mother, the Cambodian government and the Cambodian Red Cross.
The search operation amid the rubble of the seven-storey building, which had been ongoing for some 60 hours since its collapse in the early hours of Saturday as people slept inside, was called off on Monday night after two people were found alive.
The incident led to the resignation of provincial Governor Yun Min and the dismissal of the Minister in charge of National Disaster Management Nhim Vanda.
An investigation into the collapse has also been launched.
The coastal city of Sihanoukville – located some 220 km southwest of capital Phnom Penh – is experiencing a boom in hotel and casino construction, an effort being spearheaded by Chinese investors and catering to tourists from the Asian giant.
–IANS
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