KUALA LUMPUR – A doctor cheated death when the roof of an apartment block in Sri Desa, Jalan Klang Lama, collapsed on Tuesday night.
Tremors following the collapse of the four-storey apartment building’s roof structure could be felt in a nearby building located about 70m away.
R. Mercy, 21, a medical assistant at a clinic located in Block B, located about 70 metres from the site of the collapsed roof in Block A, was so loud that it sounded like thunder and a tremor resembling an earthquake.
“I was on duty and only realised about the incident when three victims involved in the incident came to the clinic for treatment,” she said when met at the location.
Mercy said though she was panicking, she quickly went out to get in touch with the doctor who was on duty.
Meanwhile, Dr J. Louis, 32, who works in the same clinic said he cheated death when a large rock fell on his car while he was trying to move his car, which was parked directly below the location of the incident.
“I was trying to remove my car and was busy checking my damaged side mirror when a large stone came crashing close to the car. I was lucky to have avoided it, and ran for my life, but my car was damaged,” he said.
Dr Louis said his car suffered about 50% damage and could not start. He added that the car was still at the location, waiting for a tow truck to send it to a workshop.
K. Veerthasalam, 55, one of the victims, said he never expected such an incident because no damage to the structure had been reported before.
“However, it was fortunate that the incident happened at night. I dare not imagine what would have happened if it was during peak hours because the place would have been a hive of activity during daytime,” he said.
Veerthasalam also expressed concern about the building when it rains, as its tenants will not be able to live there without a roof over their heads.
Meanwhile, a visit to the location found the area of Block A in Sri Desa badly damaged, with police stationed at the site to control the situation.
The incident damaged the main route to the building, awnings, air-conditioning compressors, and street lights. – Bernama, August 17, 2023
