Baku building collapse kills at least 2

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A 16-story building under construction in Baku, Azerbaijan, collapsed Tuesday, killing at least two workers and injuring three more, authorities said.

Emergency Situations Ministry officials said the search would continue through the night for another four or five workers thought to be under the debris, while Baku prosecutor Aziz Sidov said the number trapped could be as high as seven or eight, Itar-Tass reported. Heavy machinery was being implemented to clear out the rubble as ambulances stood by.

Kamil Bagirov, chief of the ministry's civil defense department, said the initial theory was the accident resulted from "the flagrant violation of safety rules in the construction process.” Two executives of the Mutafakkir company, which was constructing the building, were taken into custody.

Nearby residents told Itar-Tass the unfinished building looked shaky and had numerous cracks in the walls.

“A huge crack formed in the building shortly before the accident and it went down,” one witness said.