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Ammon News - An expert told the Amman Magistrates Court that soil was not the cause of the collapse of a building in the capital's downtown Luweibdeh area.

In a 4-hour court session on Tuesday, the expert, who is on a designated team to determine the cause of the collapse, testified that the area has a stone nature and therefore soil was not the cause of the collapse.

An expert report that was presented to the court indicated that the cause of the collapse was the maintenance work that took place on the day of the incident on the lower level of the four-story building when a wall and a support pillar were demolished.

The expert is the public prosecution's final witness, bringing the total number of witnesses to 30, whom the court has heard over the course of 21 sessions since late September.

On September 13, a building collapsed claiming the lives of 14 people and injuring 9 others. The Public Prosecution had arrested three people in the case, charging them with 14 counts of involuntary manslaughter and nine counts of causing harm. The defendants, who had pleaded "not guilty" to all charges, were released from custody after the 30-day mandatory period ended.