Search and rescue personnel have uncovered the remains of the fourth victim from the rubble of the collapsed Jaya Supermarket building in Petaling Jaya this afternoon.

At about 3am, the body of the third victim was discovered.

jaya supermarket building collapse 290509 04 The three were among nine workers who were trapped when the five-storey building collapsed after demolition works went awry yesterday evening.

Two of the workers, all of whom are believed to be Indonesian nationals, are currently undergoing treatment at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.

Yesterday, Petaling Jaya district police chief Arjunaidi Mohamad said all nine victims were on the ground floor at the time of the incident.

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

Meanwhile, 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.

Stop-work order

In a related development, the Selangor state government today issued a stop-work order on the demolition works in order for investigations to be carried out.

jaya supermarket building collapse 290509 01 The decision was made following a briefing on the tragedy by the Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) engineering unit, Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram) and the Department of Occupational Safety and Hazard (Dosh) at the Selangor Economic Action Council meeting this morning.

In a statement, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim said the briefing revealed a serious lack of proper guidelines in monitoring the demolition of buildings.

"The state government intends to rectify this to ensure that such tragedies do not recur," he added.

jaya supermarket building collapse 290509 02 Khalid said the state government also ordered MBPJ to treat the deceased with dignity in accordance to their religious beliefs and ensure that their next of kin are well informed.

MBPJ will also be working closely with the Indonesian embassy on this matter, he added.

"An information centre will be set up near the tragedy site so that the victims’ families and nearby residents can monitor the development of the search and rescue operations.

"MBPJ will be sending flyers to nearby residents to inform them of the actions taken by the state authorities to ensure their safety.

"We appeal to residents to cooperate with the relevant authorities to avoid any further mishaps and apologise for the inconvenience caused," he added.