Five injured in hotel collapse

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

A five-story hotel in the Kisaran area of Medan, North Sumatra, collapsed on Monday morning, leaving five people seriously injured.

There were no deaths reported as of Monday afternoon, but there are fear that people may still be trapped under the rubble of the building.

The hotel collapse also damaged five nearby houses.

Eyewitnesses said the Wisata Hotel, the largest hotel on Jl. Imam Bonjol here, collapsed at about 8:30 a.m.

"The hotel had been leaning for a long time, but the owner ignored it. It should have been renovated," said N. Simangunsong, whose house was among the five damaged in the incident.

Asahan Police detectives chief Adj. Comr. Sandi Nugroho said rescuers had found five injured people and were still looking for more victims.

Two of the injured are hotel employees, while the remaining three are local residents whose houses are located next to the hotel.

Officer Sandi said hotel employees saw signs that the hotel was in danger of collapse and rushed to evacuate guests and warn other employees inside the building.

The officer said the police were looking for the hotel's owner for questioning.