FIREFIGHTERS and rescue workers are racing against time to rescue eight foreign workers believed to be buried under the rubble of a collapsed section of a factory building under construction here.
In the 10.30pm incident last night, one worker was reportedly killed, nine escaped out of 18 mainly Bangladeshi workers at the site near the DHL warehouse in Batu Maung.
They were buried under tonnes of concrete slabs and other construction materials when the roof came crashing down.
As of 6am, rescue efforts were ongoing by firefighters from three stations, police, civil defence personnel, volunteers from Rela and emergency responders.
Significant rainfall had lashed the area for the past five days.
A state fire and rescue department official at the scene said the incident occurred near the Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) headquarters in Batu Maung.
Neighbours who rushed to the collapsed section managed to pull out five workers, while some had escaped the mishap, as they were away reciting their evening prayers.
It was learnt that one body was found at the site.
In 2017, a 10m landslide adjacent to a condominium construction site in Tanjung Bungah resulted in the death of 11 construction workers, including one local supervisor.
One year later, nine foreign construction workers lost their lives in a landslide during the construction of the highway connecting Bukit Jambul to Balik Pulau and Paya Terubong.
In 2019, a retaining wall collapsed at a resort on Jalan Batu Ferringhi, claiming the lives of four construction workers.
In 2013, a ramp under construction fell and killed a local motorist along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
In the same year, the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) revealed that there were about 450 construction areas registered in Penang, where between 50 and 70 of them were categorised as high-risk. – The Vibes, November 29, 2023
