BAKU, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - The bodies of seven workers have been pulled from the rubble of a multi-story building that collapsed while under construction on Tuesday in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.
Nine of the construction workers have been rescued, the country's emergency situations ministry said Wednesday. President Ilham Aliyev is currently at the site.
The Azerbaijan News Service TV channel said the rescued people had managed to contact friends and relatives by phone, and tell them they were trapped in the building's basement.
Police believe at least 38 people are still beneath the debris, while builders said as many as 60 may still be trapped.
Preliminary reports said the cause of the collapse may have been non-compliance with safety regulations at the construction site. A criminal case has been opened into the case, Baku Prosecutor Aziz Seidov said.
Azerbaijani media reported that two construction managers involved in the project have already been arrested.
A spokesman for the construction company said he heard the sound of an explosion before the building collapsed, but no eyewitnesses have confirmed this.
Other eyewitnesses said they had felt an earth tremor before the building went down, but these reports have been rejected by local officials. Some officials suggested that those responsible for the tragedy had deliberately spread rumors of a tremor as a means of denying responsibility.
Residents of nearby houses have been evacuated, after reports that their buildings may also be under threat.
Investigators said building work at the site started five years ago, and 16 floors had been built at the time of the collapse.
