Demolition work likely cause of deadly Jordan building collapse: Investigation expert

A view of the building that collapsed in Amman’s Al-Luweibdeh area, killing 14 people and injuring nine others in Jordan on Sep. 13, 2022. (File/Reuters)

• Amman court told 4-story residential block built on stone, not soil
• 14 people killed, 9 injured after building in capital caved in

AMMAN: A Jordanian court on Tuesday heard that a building collapse in the capital Amman that left 14 people dead and nine injured could have been caused by maintenance work.
An expert told Amman magistrates that the four-story block’s stone rather than soil foundations were unlikely to have been the main reason for the tragedy, reported Jordan’s News Agency.
A report submitted to the court indicated that work taking place at the building in downtown Al-Luweibdeh on Sept. 13, the day of the incident, probably led to the collapse.
During the four-hour hearing, the expert, part of an investigation team, said the ground in the area generally consisted of stone and that the demolition of a wall and support pillar on the lower level of the building had likely caused the structure to cave in.
The expert was the last of the public prosecution’s 30 witnesses to testify to the court in a case involving 21 sessions since late September.
Three people arrested in connection with the building’s collapse have been changed with 14 counts of involuntary manslaughter and nine counts of causing harm. They have already pleaded not guilty to all charges and were released from custody at the end of a 30-day mandatory period.
At least 25 people were thought to have been in the residential building when it collapsed. Hundreds of Jordanian civil defense rescuers worked to remove concrete slabs and debris in the search of survivors.