Building collapse injures motorist

Building collapse injures motorist

Part of the walls of a three-story building located on Jl.
Hayam Wuruk 96 in Central Jakarta fell onto the street at around
9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, just after workers began demolishing it.

An eyewitness, Waryo, said workers fled the scene after the
collapse of the former car showroom, fearing that they would be
blamed.

"Part of the front walls of the building fell onto the street,
causing a traffic jam," said the bottled drink street vendor.

The falling walls severed electricity cables in front of the
building, shutting down power in the area.

Head of the Mabhar subdistrict, Dasuki Gads, said the building
owner did not inform the subdistrict office of his plan to
demolish the building.

"They didn't notify us even though they had already demolished
the back part of the building," he told reporters at the scene.

According to Dasuki, part of the building fell onto the street
because of tehnical errors during the demolition.

He said his office had not yet confirmed the name of the owner
of the building.

The building, which had been left vacant for nearly four
years, was burnt down by angry mobs during the riot in the
capital in May 1998 which led to the fall of former president
Soeharto.

Dasuki said he would summon the owner to take responsibility
for the incident.

There were no fatalities due to the collapse of the building
but a passing motorist was hit by falling debris and brought to
the Husada Hospital on Jl. Mangga Besar, Central Jakarta.

A nurse at the hospital confirmed that the victim, Arkian, a
resident of Glodok area, did not suffer serious injuries.

The police quickly closed the slow lane of the road, which
aggravated traffic congestion. Police sealed the area around the
building, while staff of state-owned electricity company PT PLN
inspected the damage at the site.

Up until Wednesday afternoon, the collapsed walls had not been
removed, resulting in traffic congestion along Jl. Gajah Mada and
Jl. Hayam Wuruk. -- JP