<p>At least 43 people have died after the roof of a supermarket collapsed in the Latvian capital Riga, rescuers said today, upping a previous death toll.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"I can confirm the death toll is now 43," Viktorija Sembele, a spokeswoman for the state fire and rescue service, told AFP. The previous toll from yesterday's tragedy stood at 33 killed and at least 38 injured.<br /><br />The tragedy shocked the small Baltic state, with the government declaring three days of mourning starting tomorrow and planning to hold a moment of silence on Monday for its worst accident since regaining independence in 1991.<br /><br />The roof of the Maxima supermarket smashed down on customers during peak shopping hours around 6:00 pm yesterday in the Riga suburb of Zolitude.<br /><br />Rescuers rushed to the scene, but many were themselves trapped when the roof caved in a second time.<br /><br />"Everything was crashing down: the walls, the roof, everything!" witness Jana told LNT television.<br /><br />"I don't know what happened to the cashiers -- if you were sitting down, there is no way you could have got out in time," she said.<br /><br />Police refused to say how many people were thought to be inside the two-year-old building, and there were fears that teenagers could have been among them as a high school is near the store.<br /><br />Among the dead were three firefighters who were killed trying to rescue people following the initial cave-in of the roof.<br /><br />"I am proud of my Dad -- he died helping others, not thinking about himself," said a Twitter message retweeted by the fire and rescue service from a girl named Katrina whose father was among the dead.<br /><br />Around 200 rescue workers, backed by military personnel, combed through the rubble through the night.<br /><br />"We are working at maximum capacity but it's a very dangerous situation in the building -- it seems likely we will have to continue working all day long," said fire chief Oskars Abolins.<br /><br />Visiting the scene, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said police had launched a criminal investigation to find the cause of the disaster.</p>
<p>At least 43 people have died after the roof of a supermarket collapsed in the Latvian capital Riga, rescuers said today, upping a previous death toll.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"I can confirm the death toll is now 43," Viktorija Sembele, a spokeswoman for the state fire and rescue service, told AFP. The previous toll from yesterday's tragedy stood at 33 killed and at least 38 injured.<br /><br />The tragedy shocked the small Baltic state, with the government declaring three days of mourning starting tomorrow and planning to hold a moment of silence on Monday for its worst accident since regaining independence in 1991.<br /><br />The roof of the Maxima supermarket smashed down on customers during peak shopping hours around 6:00 pm yesterday in the Riga suburb of Zolitude.<br /><br />Rescuers rushed to the scene, but many were themselves trapped when the roof caved in a second time.<br /><br />"Everything was crashing down: the walls, the roof, everything!" witness Jana told LNT television.<br /><br />"I don't know what happened to the cashiers -- if you were sitting down, there is no way you could have got out in time," she said.<br /><br />Police refused to say how many people were thought to be inside the two-year-old building, and there were fears that teenagers could have been among them as a high school is near the store.<br /><br />Among the dead were three firefighters who were killed trying to rescue people following the initial cave-in of the roof.<br /><br />"I am proud of my Dad -- he died helping others, not thinking about himself," said a Twitter message retweeted by the fire and rescue service from a girl named Katrina whose father was among the dead.<br /><br />Around 200 rescue workers, backed by military personnel, combed through the rubble through the night.<br /><br />"We are working at maximum capacity but it's a very dangerous situation in the building -- it seems likely we will have to continue working all day long," said fire chief Oskars Abolins.<br /><br />Visiting the scene, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said police had launched a criminal investigation to find the cause of the disaster.</p>