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