Quake aftereffects

A residential building in Baku, damaged in the November 25 quake, collapsed in a heap of rubble at noon Friday. Earlier, residents of all the 8 apartments, as well as ground and first floor offices of the Azerbaijan Liberal Democratic Party (ALDP), Red Crescent Society and the Council of Internationalist Fighters had been evacuated and were even able to take away their belongings.

Later on, however, the ALDP chairman Zakir Mammadov, who was in the office at the moment, was reported to have been killed, brining the earthquake death toll to 32 people.

The four-storeyed building, registered as an architectural monument and located on 19 Azerbaijan Avenue, had been in a critical condition for a long time. 2 years ago, a stone fell off its wall and killed a passer-by. After the earthquake, a decision was made to restore the structure, but the idea proved wrong.

Meanwhile, tens of weak tremors are still being registered. An earthquake of 5 points hit Tbilisi Thursday, while Azeri seismologists say it has not affected Azerbaijan.*