A Culture House in Kazakhstan's Karaganda Region has been closed after a piece of facade cladding fell on a two-year-old child. The toddler died three months later, and a technical inspection of the building was only launched in the autumn, infohub.kz reports.
The tragedy occurred on April 13. Doctors fought for the child's life for three months, but he died in July. Throughout that time, the building remained open. Now it has emerged that the Culture House in the settlement of Botakara has been closed. Only six months later was a technical inspection carried out at the building.
For those six months, the parents of the deceased toddler pleaded for the building to be closed so that no one else would be hurt. But the Culture House continued to operate. The building cannot be repaired until the investigation is completed. However, the inspection only began on October 2. According to Sabina Kauapova, the mother of the deceased Amir, she was told that the expert was either on vacation or on sick leave.
"Why is this dragging on for so long? It seems like no one is responsible for this. My child, I don't know, is like some kind of expendable material. He died — and it's no big deal, we won't do anything, we'll wait for other victims. Or how else should we understand their side?" says Sabina Kauapova, the mother of the deceased child.
The director's lawyer said that there is only one expert for the entire region, and indeed, she was constantly traveling. She conducted the inspection only on October 2. There is still no conclusion. Routine repairs were carried out in the building in 2022, and the contractor was paid about 65 million. But even during the warranty period, the cladding began to crumble.
"The contractor stopped answering phone calls, and on the last call he did answer a representative of the Culture House, explaining that at the moment his organization has been liquidated and ceased operations," notes Yerlan Baidildinov, lawyer for the director of the Culture House in Botakara.
However, a technical inspection was conducted at the Culture House and a conclusion was obtained. It states that the building is not in emergency condition, and the pieces of travertine fell due to wind and poor installation in certain areas. Overall, the facade is in good condition. Recently it became known that after numerous appeals, the Culture House was finally closed.
"For the safety of citizens and to conduct a construction and technical expertise, the activities of the Culture House have been temporarily suspended, and access to the building is restricted. The necessary investigative actions are currently underway," emphasizes Askar Baspakov, deputy head of the police department of the Bukhar-Zhyrau District.
According to the lawyer, the director of the Culture House is deeply affected by the child's death and has even undergone two heart surgeries during this time. Although his job description does not include responsibility for injuries sustained by visitors to the Culture House. The parents of the deceased boy intend to seek compensation for moral damages from the Culture House in the future.