KUCHING, April 6 — The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will first focus on assessing the safety of two shoplot units along Jalan Padungan following a wall collapse incident early this morning, before considering wider structural checks in the area.
Kuching South Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said the council’s priority is ensuring the safety of the two units affected by the incident.
“At the moment, it’s these two (units). That’s why we are getting JKR (Public Works Department) to come in to assess the safety of the two units first, then we will look into the others.
“We need to know the cause before taking further action. Safety is always our priority, so let’s work on that for the time being,” he said when met at the scene.
Describing the incident as “a sad and unfortunate”, Wee expressed relief that no one was hurt.
“Luckily, there were no casualties. There were no car parked in front and all those.”
He said that immediate measures had been taken to secure the site.
“At the moment, we are trying to barricade the whole area because we need to study the cause (of the incident). I think that’s more important,” he explained.
Wee urged the public to avoid speculating on the incident.
“I hope (people) don’t spread rumours, don’t say anything (unnecessary). We will do our best (to handle the situation).”
He acknowledged that the age of the building might have contributed to the incident.
“Of course, we were talking about the old Padungan. This is quite an old building. I can say it’s almost 100 years old because I think you can see the police station that was built in 1928. So, they should have started all this building by 1925 or so.
“In the past, we did not have the basics of all the technologies and building materials. So, we need to find what is the actual cause. I think that’s more important – to find out the cause and reason behind it.”
He confirmed that the first affected shoplot was unoccupied, while the second housed residents staying on the upper floor, who have since moved out.
“After the incident, the residents have moved out. We have also identified the owners. We will keep in touch with them and we also have informed them we will seal off this place for investigation.
“We are sealing it off because this is the evidence. So, you know, the professional body will need all this for their investigation,” he added.
As a precautionary measure, Wee said that electricity to the two affected buildings has been disconnected, while power supply to nearby buildings has been restored to allow daily activities to continue uninterrupted.
Wee also thanked agencies that responded swiftly to the incident.
“We would like to express our appreciation to Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Sesco, our council — they responded positively. You can see that everybody is coming down to assist.”
He said building owners will be advised to appoint engineers and professional bodies for a thorough structural investigation.
“From those findings, we will see how we are going to resolve this in the short and long term.
“We (want to) ensure (the public) that the council is doing its best in trying to assist,” he added. — The Borneo Post
