On 28/8, Can Tho City Police prosecuted Huynh My Tinh, director of the Chau Thanh B Regional Investment and Construction Project Management Board (former director of the Chau Thanh District Investment and Construction Project Management Board, former Hau Giang province), for "lack of responsibility causing serious consequences," under Article 360 of the penal code.
Nguyen Van Tho (director of Vinh Phat Investment Consulting Company - design unit); Truong Hong Phong (director of Tan Hung Phat Construction Investment Consulting Company - inspection); Vo Vuong Linh (director of 379 Construction Design Consulting Company - supervision); Bo Van Trong (director of Trong Nhan Mechanical Construction Company - construction); and To Tri Hoa (former head of the Infrastructure Economics Department of Chau Thanh District, former Hau Giang Province) are being investigated for "violating construction regulations causing serious consequences," under Article 298 of the penal code.
The defendants are currently released on bail pending investigation.
Can Tho City Police also sent a document to the Chau Thanh Commune People's Committee requesting the assignment of a representative to participate in the proceedings as the injured party, while outlining the requirements for civil liability and handling of the defendants.
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The scene of the auditorium collapse on 10/8/2019. Photo: An Binh |
The scene of the auditorium collapse on 10/8/2019. Photo: An Binh
The Nga Sau Town People's Committee administrative office complex (Chau Thanh district, former Hau Giang province) had a total investment of nearly 15 billion VND. The winning bidder was Huynh Tran Trading and Service Co., Ltd., with a total bid value of over 9.4 billion VND. The project included site clearance; gates and fences; a 250-seat auditorium; an administrative office block; a parking lot and flagpole; landscaping, drainage, and more.
Construction began on 19/4/2017 and was completed on 30/11/2018, handed over to the Nga Sau Town People's Committee on 20/12/2018. Nearly 8 months later, at over 6 a.m. on 10/8/2019, while the local government was using the 250-seat auditorium for the Dong My hamlet party congress, the tile roof system suddenly collapsed. The incident completely destroyed the auditorium's roof structure, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
In early 2020, the Institute of Construction Science and Technology (Ministry of Construction) determined the cause of the incident: the actual steel roof structure did not meet load-bearing capacity requirements, and some of the connecting bolts were of the wrong type and also did not meet load-bearing standards.
According to a report by the Hau Giang Department of Construction, the Chau Thanh District Investment and Construction Project Management Board (the investor) did not fulfill its responsibilities, selecting organizations and individuals to participate in the project who did not meet capacity requirements and lacked responsibility in inspection and supervision. The construction contractor lacked documentation for machinery and equipment requiring strict labor safety standards for use on the project, and construction did not comply with the approved design documents.
The incident caused over 500 million VND in damages and over 387 million VND in inspection costs, according to authorities. In 2022, the relevant units completed the restoration and put the building back into operation.
An Binh
