UPDATE ON BUILDING COLLAPSE AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 001096 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EB, EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2017 TAGS: PGOV ECON CASC PREL AJ SUBJECT: UPDATE ON BUILDING COLLAPSE AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE REF: BAKU 1089 Classified By: AMBASSADOR ANNE E. DERSE PER REASONS 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Government of Azerbaijan (GOAJ) confirmed that 13 people have died so far as a result of the August 28 collapse of a building under construction. An unknown number of other individuals may be trapped in the building's basement. The GOAJ opened a criminal case against the construction company, Mutafakkir, and has arrested its owner; the Prosecutor General has stated that other "top officials" may be arrested in the case. On August 30, President Aliyev issued a decree giving the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) authority to inspect all buildings and building sites under construction since 2001; the decree also gave the MES a broad mandate to suspend construction work at any site that violates local building codes. The decree indicates that Minister of Emergency Situations Kamalladdin Heydarov's power will grow as a result of this tragedy. END SUMMARY. DEATH TOLL CLIMBS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The official death toll from the August 28 collapse of a 16-story building under construction stands at 13. The death toll is likely to rise as more rubble is removed and more victims are found. Local rescue teams are reportedly still attempting to reach an undetermined number of survivors trapped in the basement of the collapsed building. The GOAJ still does not know how many people were working in the building at the time of the collapse. Family members and other relatives of workers killed or still missing have been vocally unhappy with the government's lack of information regarding the fate of their loved-ones; both the independent and government-controlled press have reported their concerns. Opposition politicians and press have made some statements critical of government authorities but have overall remained muted as the search for more survivors continues. ¶3. (SBU) The government has opened a criminal investigation into the construction company responsible for the building construction, Mutafakkir. Local press reports that the building collapsed due to gross violations of safety rules during construction. The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Zakir Qaralov told local journalists that the cause of the building collapse was not related to terrorism, adding that an examination of the construction materials from the building showed no signs of an explosion. (NOTE: Some newspapers and the owner of Mutafakkir construction company have said that an explosion destroyed the building.) ¶4. (SBU) Prosecutor General Qaralov has also stated that "top officials" might be arrested for the building collapse. Four people have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident, including the manager of the Mutafakkir construction company, Ali Muradov, and three of his employees. According to Qaralov, an examination of construction materials used on the building showed their poor quality. The building may have also collapsed due to the disproportional overload of construction materials on several different floors. The criminal charges brought against the suspects are each punishable by imprisonment of seven to eight years. Qaralov confirmed that Mutafakkir did not have a building license for the construction and that it had not been appropriately registered. GOAJ RESPONSE TO ACCIDENT -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In response to the building collapse, the GOAJ has taken swift action to tighten control over construction companies. In a decree signed by President Aliyev August 30, the Ministry of Emergencies (MES) was instructed to tighten state control over all stages of construction work. The Ministry of Emergencies has also been instructed to carry out building examinations in order to discover building code violations, and if necessary, to suspend construction work. MES will immediately inspect all buildings that have been under construction since 2001. The presidential decree also instructed MES to prepare additional proposals related to construction safety within three months and submit them to the Cabinet of Ministers. ¶6. (SBU) The decree recognized that most high rise buildings in Azerbaijan are erected by private companies that "in a number of cases disregard safety rules, which results in accidents and fire on construction sites and causes loss of life." In some cases building operations are conducted "within safety zones of communications lines; design project BAKU 00001096 002 OF 002 documentation for the buildings under construction is incorrect, and shoddy materials are ued in construction." ¶7. (SBU) The presidential dcree also instructed the Ministry of Labor and Scial Security to ensure the security and rights f construction workers. In order to prevent taxevasion by construction companies, the Tax Ministr has been instructed to draw up its own proposals and submit them to the Cabinet of Ministers. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: The GOAJ has reacted swiftly to the tragic building collapse. It is still unclear whether the building site and construction company, Mutafakkir, are connected to any high-level government officials. It is widely known that many GOAJ ministers own large interests in local construction and cement companies. With the August 30 Presidential Decree giving more power to Kamalladdin Heydarov's Ministry of Emergency Situations, it appears that Heydarov's political influence will grow, rather than diminish, as a result of this tragedy. We will continue to monitor and report on the political fallout from the building collapse. END COMMENT. DERSE