Faults declared in dozens of supermarkets in Riga

Irregularities have been revealed at over thirty Riga supermarkets following inspections, the head of Riga's Construction Board says.

Following  two week inspections on public buildings, cracks of various sizes in 18 Rimi and 13 Maxima supermarkets were revealed. 

Inspections have been carried out at more than 200 public buildings in Riga, including Rimi, Supernetto and "Maxima" supermarkets, establishing problems in 31 of them.

Last year, the Riga Construction Board reported potential threats to load-carrying capacity in two supermarkets in Riga. The Rimi and Maxima stores were temporarily closed. Later they were declared safe, resuming operations.

The inspections follow the roof collapse at Maxima Zolitude in Riga that left 54 dead and dozens injured. It's the biggest loss of life in Latvia since its independence in 1991.