President calls Riga supermarket tragedy mass murder

Latvian President Andris Berzins has said that the Riga supermarket tragedy was a  ''mass murder'' of defenseless civilians.

''I invite those involve to think about what he or she has done, so that after the mourning period we can begin to take action. This incident is basically the mass murder of a large number of defenseless civilians. We must act accordingly,'' said Berzins.

The President said that the tragedy cannot be called an unfortunate mishap as ''nature cannot be blamed this time."

According to the president, in a normal country, those directly responsible are held accountable, and this must be done here as well, reports LETA.

Berzins also added that, a team of independent experts from abroad must be put together immediately, who are not in any way connected with the local construction business in Latvia.

More than 50 people were killed and several dozens injured when a Maxima supermarket roof collapsed in Riga's Zolitude neighborhood Thursday, Nov. 21 evening. It is impossible to say at the moment how long the rescue operation will continue. It is also still unknown how many people may be still trapped underneath the rubble.