Building collapse: Cause of bad weather or bad construction?

NEW DELHI - A five story tenement suddenly collapsed Tuesday morning, killing at least 64 people and that number could rise. Survivors of the collapse used cell phones to try and call rescuers to the area, but struggled to reach the site because of the poor building contruction and soggy soils surrounding the area. Rescuers worked all through the night using jackhammers and sniff dogs to try and find the trapped bodies, hoping to find some alive.

 The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear, but many think it has to do with this year's heavy monsoon rains. Additionally, the building complex had very poor construction and it's location was right near a river. "The area is frequently flooded, and sits near a waterlogged riverbank. Residents said that this year’s unusually heavy monsoon had left the basements of buildings in the low-lying area flooded" (NY Times). Apparently, the tenant of the building is looking to be arrested, but has yet to be located.

This news article ties directly into this weeks lecture. We have been talking about mudslides quite frequently, and although the building collapse was not directly related to a mudslide, the collapse happened under similiar circumstances. The ground was extremely wet and the soil beneath the building became quite unstable and weak.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/world/asia/17india.html?_r=1&ref=world