An uninhabited five-story building collapsed on a construction site in the center of Riga on Thursday, as a result of which ten cars were damaged, but there is no information about the victims, the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) informed.
- The call was received at 14:15
- There are at least three cars under the ruins; there are no victims
- The police have started criminal proceedings
An uninhabited five-story building collapsed on a construction site in the center of Riga on Thursday, as a result of which ten cars were damaged, but there is no information about the victims, the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) informed.
At 2:15 p.m., VUGD received a call to Satekles Street, where a five-story building collapsed. Upon arrival at the scene, it was found that a building had collapsed on the construction site and several cars were under the structures.
An operational headquarters has been set up at the scene to more effectively coordinate the search of the structures. People were evacuated from the adjacent building and the collapsed structures were searched.
VUGD, JSC “Latvijas gāze”, representatives of the municipal police, the State Police and the manager of construction works work in it. Rescuers worked at the scene with six tanker trucks, a rescue vehicle and a ladder truck.
Nine people were evacuated from the adjacent building.
As informed by Toms Sadovskis, the chief public relations specialist of the Riga Municipal Police, Dzirnavu Street is currently closed to traffic and everything is being done to restore traffic as soon as possible.
Residents are being evacuated from the adjacent building. Currently, the “Rīgas satiksme” bus has arrived, where the evacuated people can stay.
The LETA agency observed that the block around the scene is partially cordoned off. One side of Dzirnavu Street is closed to pedestrians, as well as the section of Dzirnavu Street between Satekles and Ernesta Birzniekas-Upīša Streets is closed to traffic.
As the police assured TVNET, the traffic was closed for a short time to make sure that there are no people in the debris.
Pedestrian movement is not restricted on Satekle Street, where there are two public transport stops.
There are several VUGD, police and medical crews on Satekle and Dzirnavu streets.
The State Police has started criminal proceedings in connection with the uninhabited five-story building that collapsed on a construction site in the center of Riga on Thursday.
The criminal process has been started under the section of the Criminal Law on criminal offenses against general safety and public order, and all the circumstances of the incident will be evaluated in it.
On this construction site, the construction works of the Satekle business center planned by the real estate developer “Linstow Baltic” are underway. The general contractor of the construction works is SIA “Bukoteks”.
“Bukoteks” representatives said that at the moment the company has no comments on the incident.
The representatives of “Linstow Baltic” informed that the incident took place in the territory of a closed construction site with one of the buildings on the construction site. The construction site was handed over to the general contractor Bukoteks in February 2023, based on the signed construction contract. “Linstow Baltic” has requested a detailed explanation of the circumstances and reasons for the incident from the general contractor of the construction works.
According to the information currently available to “Linstow Baltic”, there are no victims in the incident.
“Linstow Baltic” will cooperate with the authorities to find out and investigate the reasons for the incident as soon as possible, as well as apologize for the inconvenience or anxiety caused to local residents and passers-by, and will take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of the Satekle Street construction site and its surroundings.
The representatives of “Linstow Baltic” added that during the implementation of the construction project, specific
the facade of the collapsed building was planned to be preserved by integrating it into the new building.
The office complex will be located in the neighborhood block of the Riga Central Railway passenger station and “Origo One” business center between Elizabete, Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša, Dzirnava and Satekles streets.
The upcoming 12,000-square-meter Satekle Business Center office complex will include a total of five interconnected buildings, including the integration of two buildings of the city’s cultural and historical heritage. The main building of the complex will have seven floors and it is already known that “SEB banka” will become the anchor tenant of the new building, moving to the main office of the Satekle business center.
Eight people were evacuated from the uninhabited five-story building that collapsed on the construction site in the center of Riga next to the house on Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša street 4, informed Toms Sadovskis, chief public relations specialist of the Riga municipality police.
He states that currently all the evacuated people are staying in the bus assigned by “Rīgas satiksme” while the civil engineer and specialists of the State Construction Control Bureau (BVKB) are inspecting this building to make sure that the vibrations caused by the collapse of the building have not caused damage to the wooden building.
As soon as a positive opinion of the specialists is received regarding the safety of the building, the evacuated people will be able to return to their homes. In case the building is recognized as dangerous for operation, an opportunity will be found to accommodate people, explains Sadovskis.
Taking into account that the planned Satekle business center is a public building, the responsibility for the construction object is within the competence of BVKB, emphasized the representative of the Riga City Council, Kaspars Līcītis.
In October 2021, “SEB banka” signed an agreement with “Linstow Baltic” for the construction and lease of an office building in the center of Riga – on Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša street, on the site of the former “Mildas tirdziņa”, which is located next to Station square. “SEB banka” plans to move to the new office at the beginning of 2025. Currently, the main office of “SEB banka” in Latvia is in Valdlauči, Meistaru street.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the amount of the transaction.
“Linstow Baltic” board chairman Frode Gronvolds states that the solution developed by the association “SN&L” (SIA “Lauder Architects”, SIA “Sarma&Norde arhitekti”) fully corresponded to the idea of ”Linstow Baltic” for the vision of the development of a sustainable business center in the city center and obtained permission for it for further realization also from the side of the institutions supervising the development of the capital.
It has already been reported that “Linstow Baltic” intends to build an office complex on the site of the former “Milda tirdziņa” near Station Square.
Earlier in 2017, the real estate developer “Astor Group” had announced its intention to build a “Radisson RED” brand hotel in this place. It was planned that the hotel group “The Rezidor Hotel Group” will open a new “Radisson RED” brand hotel in Riga by 2020. 220 rooms were planned in the new hotel.
The representatives of “Linstow Baltic” said that the property rights of this plot of land were re-registered on June 16, 2021 to the company of the “Linstow” group. The legal owner of the land units of the territory is now SIA “Satekles Business Center”.
In 2021, “Linstow Baltic” worked with a turnover of 3.524 million euros, which is 24.1% more than in 2020, while the company’s losses decreased several times and amounted to 21,093 euros, according to “Firmas.lv” information.
“Linstow Baltic” was registered in 2004, and its share capital is 1.1 million euros. The sole owner of the company is the Norwegian company “Linstow”. “Linstow” manages and develops the Latvian shopping center “Origo”, as well as the largest shopping center in Estonia – “Ülemiste”.
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