Two killed as building collapses

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)