PETALING JAYA: The abandoned Jaya Supermarket in Section 14 here collapsed after demolition operations went awry on Thursday evening.
Part of the four-storey building, a landmark of the city, collapsed at about 4:45pm, trapping nine Indonesian construction workers. Others working at the site managed to escape.
The Fire and Rescue Department received a distress call at 5:08pm and about 50 firemen immediately rushed to the scene.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Soiman Jahid said the first worker was pulled out of the rubble at 5:45pm and followed by the second about fifteen minutes later.
The two injured victims Suriono, 31, and Salleh, 45 were sent to the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).
Rescue workers also recovered the body of a construction worker at 6:44pm.
Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said Suriono was admitted to the emergency ward while Salleh received outpatient treatment.
“The dead victim has been identified as Maskor, 28,” he said at a press conference at the scene.
He said that six more construction workers were still trapped under the debris.
“We are working on the assumption that they are still alive. The search and rescue operation will continue untill all are accounted for,” he said.
A resident living nearby earlier said he had heard trapped workers shouting “Tolong, tolong (Help, help)” for a while, but there was only silence now.
One trapped worker apparently managed to call his boss on his handphone, and rescue workers are trying to trace him.
By nightfall, an operations centre had been set up and spotlights were used to help with the rescue efforts.
Soiman said the rescue operation involves over 150 personnel from his department, police, the Civil Defence Department, Petaling Jaya City Council and others.
“We are using the tracker dogs to search for the remaining victims,’’ he added.
The building has six storeys, including two basement levels. Most of the workers were on the ground and third floors when the incident, whose cause is currently unknown, occurred.
At one stage, the remaining part of the building was teetering dangerously, reporters on the scene said, with bits and pieces still falling off.
However, the Fire and Rescue Department has confirmed that there are no houses nearby and residents were not in danger.
Lucky survivors
An Indonesian worker Mohamad Iksan, 25, who was carrying out drilling operations in the basement, said he ran out immediately after some concrete slabs fell on the ground not far from him.
“Luckily I was near open space and managed to escape. I only realised part of the building had collapsed after I ran out of the building,” he said.
He said he was working with about eight colleagues during the incident and most of them were at the basement and the highest floor.
Andi, 30, who was on the fifth floor of the building, was taking a break with nine other construction workers when the incident happened.
“I was sitting down when I heard the loud sound of wind rushing past. Then the floor started tilting and we just ran for our lives.
“We rushed to the other end of the building. We are lucky to be alive,” said Andi, who had just started working on the construction site 20 days ago.
Rojak seller Faizal Md Yusof, 25, who was at his van nearby, saw the building “goyang” (sway) and then collapse.
“I saw six cranes falling down along with the building. I just left my van and ran for my life,” he said.
His van was located less than 50m from the collapsed building.
Store manager Lee, 37, said she heard loud booming sounds and looked out of her shoe shop to witness the building collapse.
“There is usually some noise from the construction. When I heard the loud noise, I knew something big fell but I never thought that the whole building would collapse,” she said.
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