Officials in Cambodia say 36 people were killed after a seven-story building that was under construction collapsed in the south of the country.

Rescue operations were undertaken after the building toppled on Friday in the coastal province of Kep, trapping workers under the rubble.

Local media say 30 workers and their families were in the building when it came down.

The government announced the end of rescue operations on Sunday morning.

Officials say that of 59 people pulled from rubble, 36 were dead.

Local media report that the police are questioning the building owner and others, looking into whether the construction process was legal.

Cambodia's recent economic growth has prompted a construction boom, accompanied by frequent accidents likely as a result of slipshod construction. A building under construction collapsed last June in the southern resort city of Sihanoukville, killing 28 people.

NHK