Police to name suspects of Sunter fatal accident
Evi Mariani, Jakarta
After an hours-long evacuation process, a rescue team comprising volunteers and members of the North Jakarta Fire Department uncovered the bodies of five construction workers on Tuesday, under the debris of a collapsed furniture showroom on Jl. Danau Agung Jaya, Sunter Agung, North Jakarta.
Four other workers died at the hospital due to their injuries. The nine fatalities were identified as Ruslan, Casmudi, Toni, Rudi, Sukar, Kastim, Atang, Elom and Wastam. Most of the workers originally came from Brebes in Central Java.
It was the second major workplace accident this month after a crane collapsed during the construction of the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) Suites apartment in Senayan, South Jakarta, on May 3. Three workers died in that accident, while three others were injured.
Rescuers have called the evacuation, which began on Monday afternoon, off.
"We won't proceed with the rescue operation unless we get a confirmed report that there are people still trapped inside," North Jakarta Fire Department chief Joni Aryoni was quoted as saying by detikcom.
Survivors at the construction site suspected that the concrete columns of the second story had not been strong enough and collapsed during work on the third story. The building, owned by PT Neo Serba Antik, is designed to be a four-story furniture showroom.
North Jakarta Police have questioned four witnesses and will name the suspects related to the fatal accident soon.
"For the time being, we conclude the accident was caused by a technical error in the construction process," North Jakarta Police detective chief Comr. Andap B. Refianto said.
The suspects will likely be charged with Article 359 of the Criminal Code on death caused by negligence, which carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.
Andap also said that the police had questioned the owner of the shop and the site supervisor.
The owner, Raharjo Mukti, said earlier that he would cover the medical expenses of the injured workers, and would compensate the families of the deceased.