Two killed as building collapses

MEDAN: A three-story building which formerly housed the South East Asia Bank here, collapsed on Tuesday, killing two construction workers and injuring dozens of others.

As of Wednesday, the bodies of the two workers, identified as Nazib and Slamet, had not been recovered from the wreckage, while the injured had been taken to the Dewi Maya, Pirngadi and Elizabeth hospitals.

The 50-year-old building, situated on Jl. Pemuda no. 10 in Medan, was being rebuilt as a six-story tower.

Medan mayor Abdillah has ordered his staff to investigate the incident, while the North Sumatra provincial council quickly said that the head of the Medan Building Agency, A. Sidik, should be held responsible for the incident.

Separately, local administration spokesman Ismunandar said the agency had given its approval to a contractor named A Hu to carry out the project.

He added that the city administration had asked the contractor to put the project on hold, pending the reconstruction of the building's foundations. (39/lup)