So far, seven people have died and 18 others injured in a six-story building collapse in the coastal province of Kep on Friday.

The Kep provincial administration issued a statement this morning saying the building collapsed on Friday at 4:15pm. By Saturday 5am, it said 23 people had been pulled out of the debris, five of whom had died.

But local media Fresh News reported that 25 victims have been found with seven dead and 18 injured.

Prime Minister Hun Sen arrived at the scene at 9pm yesterday to participate in the search for the victims.

Right after the incident, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction formed an 11-member committee to investigate construction of the building which is owned by a couple named Ek Sarun and Chhiv Sothy.

“The committee has been tasked to inspect the building belonging to Ek Sarun and Chhiv Sothy which collapsed on January 3, in Kep village, Kep commune, Kep town, Kep province, to assess the qualification of the constructor, report the result to the ministry, and perform other tasks as the ministry required,” said the statement of the Ministry of Land Management.

According to Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith, the construction started in August 2019, after getting approval from the Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction and the provincial administration.

In early December, the provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction inspected the construction site and found that it had not followed approved plans.

The owners were also reportedly questioned this morning.

In June, a seven-story building had collapsed in Preah Sihanouk province killing 28 people, and leaving 26 other injured.