A portion of the building where the iconic Jaya Supermarket in Petaling Jaya once stood collapsed this evening when demolition work went awry, killing two workers.

The duo were among nine Indonesian workers who were trapped in the rubble. Two others were rescued and sent to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.

jaya supermarket building collapse 280509 03 According to Petaling Jaya district police chief Arjunaidi Mohamad, all the nine victims were on the ground floor of the four-storey building at the time of the incident.

Bernama reported that the search and rescue team had identified the location of the five workers still trapped, and at 11.30pm, was still trying to get them out of the rubble.

Arjunaidi said 30 Fire and Rescue Department personnel, 30 Civil Defence personnel, 15 Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) personnel and 50 police as well as Rela personnel are involved in the operations.

jaya supermarket building collapse 280509 02 The first dead victim, known as Maskor, 28, was brought out of the rubble at about 6.50pm and the second who was still unidentified, at 10.20pm.

Arjunaidi said firemen used a skylift to assess the safety level of the affected building before the search and rescue team could enter it.

The road in front of the collapsed building was closed to traffic to facilitate the search and rescue operation.

Overloading could be the cause

UMMC deputy director Prof Dr Jamiyah Hassan said the injured victims were Maskor's brother Suryano, 32, and Sale, 48. They are in stable condition.

Jamiyah said 45 paramedics from three hospitals - UMMC, Sungai Buloh Hospital and Kuala Lumpur Hospital - were at the scene of the incident to provide medical assistance.

jaya supermarket building collapse 280509 01 Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Lajim Ukin said initial investigation indicated that the structure might have collapsed due to overloading as heavy machinery were used in the demolition work.

Eyewitness Syed Mohammad Aidid Syed Ahmad Aidid said he heard a loud roar like that of thunder while driving past the area.

"I saw dust rising in the air and pieces of stone came crashing down on my car like a hailstorm," he told Bernama.

Syed Mohammad Aidid, 41, said he had just left the nearby Digital Mall to go to his office at Phileo Damansara when the Jaya Supermarket building collapsed.

"I saw in front of me several cars but they managed to escape. I just floored the accelerator but some of the rubble hit my car and dented it.

"I was shaken with fear and prayed that I would be out of harm's way," he said.

Earlier, a news report stated that "the building was teetering dangerously, with bits and pieces still falling off."

It was also reported that the police and Fire and Rescue Department were contemplating whether residents in nearby houses should be evacuated.

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