MOSCOW, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Russian rescue workers say 56 people died and 32 others were injured in the collapse of a central Moscow market.
The Russian information agency Novosti said investigators questioned the architect who designed the Basmanny market. The architect, Nodar Kanchli, also designed the Transvaal Park building, which collapsed in 2004, killing 28.
Rescue workers said everyone had been pulled from the rubble.
About 500 rescue workers with sniffer dogs searched for survivors, who were "knocking and crying out" and using mobile phones to guide rescuers, a government minister said.
Heavy machinery could not be brought to clear the debris because of the risk to people trapped in the ruins, said Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The accident happened at about 5:45 a.m., when mostly traders and security guards were inside the market just east of downtown. The market is open 24 hours a day, operating as a wholesale market at night, the BBC reported.
Itar-Tass said investigators were blaming the collapse on the weight of snow on the roof.
"There was no crash or crack. The roof crashed down at one blow," one of the victims told Itar-Tass.
President Vladimir Putin called for a full investigation.
