National flags with black ribbons will fly half-mast for three days everywhere in Latvia to commemorate the victims of the "Maxima" department store collapse in Riga on November 21.
Also, a moment of silence will be observed in Latvia at 10 a.m. on Monday, the government decided.
Culture Minister Dace Melbarde proposed that all cultural and recreational events should be cancelled this weekend, but Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) said this was up to the organizers of such events.
During the emergency government meeting today, Education and Science Minister Vjaceslavs Dombrovskis (Reform Party) said that the parents of many Riga schoolchildren were either killed or injured in the Maxima supermarket tragedy.
The Education and Science Ministry continues to gather the latest information in this tragedy, which keeps changing by the hour. According to current information, the mother of a student at Zolitude High School died in the catastrophe, as well as the father of another student. Several students are still awaiting information about their parents, who are missing.
The mother of several children who go to Riga's 53rd High School has also died.
The parents of school children from several other education establishments in the city have also died, or are missing.
The families of the rescuers killed while working at the scene of the ''Maxima'' supermarket collapse will receive LVL 50,000 in compensation, Interior Ministry State Secretary Ilze Petersone-Godmane said during today's emergency government meeting.
She explained that the families of the deceased rescuers will receive LVL 50,000 in compensation. This money will be taken from emergency funds from the national budget.
Meanwhile, the ten rescuers injured in the catastrophe will receive the necessary medical care and their rehabilitation costs will be paid in full. After they recover, depending on the severity of their injuries, they will receive support payments between LVL 3,000 to 5,000.
Specific compensation amounts for others killed or injured in the catastrophe were not discussed during today's government meeting.
Meanwhile, the government has ordered the Health Ministry to record the hospital bills, but not charge any of those victims who are receiving medical treatment. Their hospital bills will be paid with emergency funds.
The foreign press is devoting its pages and airtime to report the grim details of Thursday's catastrophe in Riga when a supermarket roof caved in, killing dozens.
The accident is headline news at AFP, Reuters, AP, DPA, CNN, BBC and RIA Novosti, to name just a few.
It is the top news story in Estonia and Lithuania today.
As reported, more than 30 people were killed and several dozens injured when a Maxima supermarket roof collapsed in Riga's Zolitude neighborhood Thursday evening. It is impossible to say at the moment how long the rescue operation will continue. It is also still unknown how many people may be still trapped underneath the rubble.
