http://thejakartaglobe.com/city/two-workers-killed-12-injured-in-tanah-abang-building-collapse/348927
December 23, 2009 Arientha Primanita & Nurfika Osman Rescue workers scour the rubble of a part of Metro Tanah Abang which collapsed while under construction on Wednesday. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG) Two Workers Killed, 12 Injured in Tanah Abang Building Collapse Two workers have been killed and twelve others were injured after part of a building under construction collapsed in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday morning. The extension to the Metro Tanah Abang mall, part of the large market complex in the area, collapsed at 10:20 a.m. The extension was being built to accommodate extra toilets and was located near a loading dock where many trucks and vehicles pass through to load cargo. Work had been taking place on the site for the past four months. So far, 12 people and two bodies had been evacuated from the ruins. The victims have been taken for treatment at Tarakan Hospital, Jakarta Hospital, the Navy Hospital and Kebon Kacang public health center. The evacuation process was now complete because search and rescue teams believed there were no other people trapped. Police were processing the scene. Robert Cahyadi, a family member of Ridwan and Hamim, two of the victims currently undergoing treatment at Jakarta Hospital, said that Ridwan will need surgery because his leg is broken. "I know that the building is illegal and some people have protested to Tanah Abang to demolish it. If they listened to them, this accident would not have happened," Robert said. The two men who was killed have been identified only as Hamid and Iwan. Their bodies have been taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. One of the other victims, Dwi, had already been sent home from Jakarta Hospital on Wednesday afternoon as her injuries were not serious. A witness named Afrizal said that he saw four construction workers who were injured. "I gave water to one of the victims," Afrizal said. Central Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Hamidin told Metro TV that the evacuation team had to move very carefully because there were other parts of the construction site that were on the brink of collapsing. "The top parts of the structure were already showing signs of collapsing, we couldn't take any risks," Hamidin said. Crowds of people gathering to look at the collapse hampered the evacuation process, Metro TV reported. Central Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni told reporters that the construction work had no permit. "We have accurate information from P2B (Property Control and Building Monitoring agency) that the aditional building had no permit. We will tear down the rest of the building this afternoon," Sylviana said. "It is an illegal building so I will coordinate with related departments to monitor buildings in Central Jakarta," she said. "We will punish anyone who is involved in this case." She said that the management of the building had not reported the extension to authorities. Cucu Ahmad Kurnia, the city spokesman, said that the building's management was responsible for the incident. "We might take this through the legal processes," he said. Central Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Hamidin said the building managers could be charged under Chapter 359 of the Criminal Code on carelessness that causes injury or death to others. The violation carries a punishment of up to five years in prison. Sylviana said that victims of the building collapse would have their medical bills covered by the city. "The provincial government will pay the hospital bills of all victims of this accident as we think that this is an extraordinary occurrence," Sylviana said. "I have coordinated with related departments and hospitals to give the best service for the victims, including covering the bill if they have to undergo surgery." Wednesday's incident was not the first time a building in the complex collapsed. In 2004, the Block A building at Tanah Abang market collapsed because of heavy vibrations from an excavator machine tearing down a neighboring building. One person was killed and 12 others were injured in the incident. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
