Experts say faulty calculations cause of collapse in supermarket tragedy

The maximum load the collapsed Maxima roof in Riga could take was calculated wrongly, a team of independent Latvian construction engineers has said.

Experts said reasons for the collapse supermarket  included faulty connections of steel members under the roof. A winter garden was being constructed on the roof of the supermarket during the time of it's collapse. 

It was further revealed that alarms in the supermarket also sounded regularly before the collapse, but no action was taken.

At least 54 people died and dozens were injured after the maxima supermarket collapsed on Thursday, Nov..21. It's the biggest loss of life in Latvia since it gained independence in 1991.

Latvian construction company Re&Re, which hired the independent experts to analyze the building design and the construction process, says that the final report will be presented after all the relevant calculations and laboratory tests of the construction materials used in building the supermarket are carried out.

Re&Re has also invited international construction engineering company BRE Global to carry out full analysis and examination of construction materials at the supermarket.

The police investigation is currently ongoing.