NBRO says deadly building collapse in Kandy sign of weak regulation
By Arjuna Ranawana
COLOMBO – The building that collapsed in Kandy killing an infant and two adults may not have been built according to specifications that are required for construction on steep slopes, officials said on Sunday (20).
An officer from the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) who was at the site of the collapsed structure said the building was constructed in 2006 before strict regulations were introduced for such constructions in 2011.
Samantha Bogahapitiya of the NBRO’s Kandy office said they were probing the incident to find out what caused the collapse.
The five-story building in Buwelikada, in the heart of Kandy, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, burying a neighbouring house and its sleeping occupants. Two women and a six-week-old infant were found alive by rescuers, but the infant died after being admitted to the Kandy Hospital, Police Media said.
The bodies of a couple, believed to be parents of the infant, were found under rubble later in the day.
Bogahapitiya said the five-story structure was also a residence. “Neighbours had seen the pillars supporting the building giving way and alerted the residents who were able to escape,” he said.
Bogahapitiya said the collapse of the building was a “lesson for people who don’t take precautions when building on steep sites,” adding that although government regulations were introduced in 2011 they were mostly observed in the breach. He said it was expensive for the proper reinforcements to be built , so some take shortcuts.
-economynext.com