The building in Binh Duong province was nearly complete, when it suddenly collapsed totally on the afternoon of December 19, burying at least nine people, including the owner’s son.

At the site, an area of 900 square meters was covered by rubble. The structure collapsed to the left, but luckily, there were no nearby homes.

A witness recalled: “I heard a cracking noise and then a seism. Dust and mortar splashed . . . Hundreds of people flocked to the site to save the victims. but they couldn’t.”

When the accident occurred on Saturday, the number of workers was just 10, compared with the typical number of 40 on weekdays.

A few workers fell from the upstairs, but escaped death. Several hours later, cranes and hundreds of relief workers found five victims and four were brought to hospitals in critical condition.

The house’s owner, Nguyen Xuan On, 50, and his son, were standing on the first floor when the accident happened, so they ran out of the house. His 12-year-old son died while his daughter and another son were seriously injured.

Rescuers worked very hard into the night and the next day. By the morning of December 20, they had found three dead and sent 9 others to hospitals.

This building was designed as a hotel and was being painted when it collapsed. The owner only had a license to build a 2-story house, but hired a contractor-friend to build 5 stories. Police are investigating the case.

PV