Builder of Myanmar condo destroyed in quake jailed for 5 years

The builder of the Sky Villa condominium in Mandalay which collapsed killing more than 200 people during a devastating earthquake last year has been sentenced to five years in prison, local media and a person familiar with the case said. The 7.7-magnitude quake killed at least 2,700 people in total in March last year, dealing a heavy blow to a country reeling from civil war since the military seized power in a 2021 coup. Portions of the Sky Villa condo in Mandalay city – the deadliest single site – pancaked, killing 206 people, according to managers of the upmarket mid-rise. The last of the bodies were recovered from the site in September. The death toll included several foreigners. The condo was sold as “earthquake-proof” when units first went on sale in 2017. Naing Tun Lin, owner of the construction firm that built Sky Villa, was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labour on June 23 for causing death by negligence, Eleven Media reported Monday, quoting a court information officer. A person with knowledge of the case who requested anonymity due to security concerns confirmed the sentence. Requests for comment from AFP to government spokespeople, the court in Mandalay region and Naing Tun Lin’s company, NTL Construction, went unanswered as of Tuesday morning. Naing Tun Lin was charged in February but initially granted bail, Eleven Media reported on Monday. His bail was withdrawn and he was arrested the following month, the outlet said.