Lianne
DALZIEL
Earthquake Recovery Spokesperson

9 February 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT
Report on CTV building collapse devastating

The report on the CTV building’s collapse after the 22 February earthquake last year will have a devastating impact on the families of the 115 victims, says Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.

“The report has revealed that the building was not built to code ---a devastating finding considering the collapse of this building was responsible for more than 60 per cent of the deaths in the earthquake,” Lianne Dalziel said.

“It will be particularly difficult for the families of those who lost loved ones in the collapse to deal with the news that the disaster has now been referred by the Department of Building and Housing to the police.

“People want to understand what happened,” Lianne Dalziel said.

“If something went wrong that could have been avoided, then people will want accountability, but that won’t change the horror of what happened.

“As the first anniversary of 22 February comes closer, the events of that day are still fresh and painful for many hundreds of Canterbury people.

“It won’t be easy for them to learn that the collapse has now been referred to the police, as they will now have to wait for final decisions on what happens next,” Lianne Dalziel said.

“For their sake I hope the wait is not too long, and that at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult time for them a resolution can be found which makes it less likely that others won’t suffer as they have in the future.”

ENDS

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