Three dead after crane topples off construction site onto car

 

A horrific accident claimed three lives and left a motorist with serious injuries after a construction crane collapsed along Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (Suke) and crushed a car.

The accident occurred near a condominium in Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras.

A statement by the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that they had received an emergency call at 8.45am and deployed 25 personnel from the Cheras, Tun Razak and Hang Tuah stations to the location of the accident.

The statement did not name the highway.

According to the chief of operations, Mohd Khairul Azmi Jaafar, the incident involved a crane launcher used in highway construction which collapsed onto a Perodua Bezza car 120 feet below.

Three of the victims were employees working on the construction project. Two of whom were confirmed dead on the spot. A third was later reported to have died. All three were reported to be China nationals.

The car driver, who is a Malaysian, also suffered serious injuries due to the impact.

One of the victims is still trapped, and rescue work is currently being carried out, read the statement.

Commenting on the accident, Senior Works Minister Fadillah Yusof said roads or lanes must be closed to all traffic if a heavy structure needs to be removed in implementing road or highway construction projects.

He said the matter was among the strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) that contractors must abide by to ensure the safety of workers and the public.

“In the implementation of such project, if for example, you want to move the gantry launcher, the road needs to be closed, once the structure is safely (moved), only then reopen the route,” he said at a press conference after handing over the letter of acceptance ( SST) of projects under the purview of Works Ministry and the Public Works Department today.

In December, Fadillah told Dewan Negara that the main contractor and subcontractor of the Suke project were fined RM180,000 for failing to ensure safety at the highway construction site, following an incident in which a concrete slab fell from the elevated highway and crushed a passing vehicle on Sept19.

He said the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) had conducted a Contractor Disciplinary Action proceeding on Nov17 and imposed penalties on the main contractor and subcontractor of the Suke project Package CA2.

Fadillah added that the CIDB investigation determined that the subcontractor did not follow proper work procedures and had employed a site supervisor with no accreditation.

“The main contractor, MRCB Builders Sdn Bhd, was fined RM80,000, while the subcontractor, Makna Setia Sdn Bhd was fined RM100,000.

"The two contractors were fined respectively according to Section 34B(1)(c) and Section 34C(1) of the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia Act 1994 (Act 520), which states that it is the contractor’s duty to ensure the safety of buildings and construction work either during or after construction,” he said. - Mkini