Relative of Novosibirsk mall collapse victim speaks of waiting in vain
The victim worked for seven months in a clothing and footwear store in the collapsed building.
Relatives of Rustam Sharipov, who was trapped under the rubble after the collapse of a shopping center building in Novosibirsk, believed until the last moment that he would be found alive. The brother of the deceased told NGS about this.
«Everyone stood on the street and waited until the very end, hoping they would find him alive, even if maimed, but alive. After they pulled him out from under the rubble, the doctors told us everything. In his home village, everyone, from the moment they learned of the incident, waited for news with trepidation and anxiety. We sat up all night waiting, and when we found out, we couldn»t close our eyes, mourning him,« the relative of the deceased said.
Rustam worked as a salesperson-cashier at the «Planeta Odezhdy i Obuvi» (Clothing and Footwear Planet) store for seven months. The man leaves behind a wife and four daughters, the NGS interlocutor added.
The family of the deceased speaks reservedly about Sergey Turkov, the owner of the collapsed building.
«I can»t say anything about the owner. He asked for forgiveness that same evening when everything became known. I can«t say anything about punishment either. God will be his judge,» the brother of the deceased concluded.
The collapse on Naumova Street occurred on the afternoon of January 21. On the same day, investigators from the Investigative Committee (SK) opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code (providing services that do not meet safety requirements, resulting in the death of a person). According to the preliminary version, the building structure could not withstand the snow that had accumulated on the flat roof.
The next morning the owner of the shopping center was detained — Novosibirsk entrepreneur Sergey Turkov. It was he who built the two-story shopping center without authorization and then legalized the structure through the court. The day before, he was charged and sent to a pre-trial detention center (SIZO).
Everything known about the tragedy has been collected by NGS in a separate story.
