The owner of the $200 million, two-storey building which collapsed in Lethem, Region Nine on Wednesday last, maintains that the collapse was due to flooding in the area at the time and not the failure to ensure proper building codes were followed.
Amidst concerns raised about the strength of the building, its owner Frank Satnarine insisted, “It is a natural disaster. It was the storm in the night that caused this building to collapse. Those people who live in Lethem who heard thunder and lightning they weren’t even coming out of their house. There was flood in my place. I have pictures of the watermark to show that there was water. To show the level of the water at the time when the building fell.”