The Penang State Assembly is due to sit on Monday but suffered the misfortune of a portion of the ceiling in the sitting hall collapsing today.

However, there were no casualties.

Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain said approximately 70 percent of the ceiling over the media and public galleries and where the Hansard writer sits came tumbling down at 3.30pm.

"At the time there were two or three assembly staff in the hall. Fortunately no one was injured," he said when contacted by Bernama.

He said the Public Works Department had been asked to carry out a probe into to incident and inspect the safety of the premises.    

Abdul Halim added that he was confident today's incident would not affect Monday's sitting of the assembly and that the House had contingency plans in case it could not proceed as scheduled.

Checks by Bernama at the building found rectification work being carried out and Penang police chief Ayub Yaakob and several police officers assessing the situation.

On July 23 2008, four square metres of plaster ceiling in the lobby of the same building came tumbling down and narrowly missing people present.

This sitting of the assembly was originally scheduled for April 19 but was postponed to Monday because Penang Yang DiPertua Negeri was admitted to the Penang Hospital on April 18 after suffering from Bronchopneumonia.

- Bernama