KUALA LUMPUR – Four Bangladeshi workers thought to have been buried under the rubble of a collapsed building under construction in Bayan Lepas, Penang, had instead fled the scene and are now in police custody.
Penang deputy police chief deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad told The Star that the four were never under the rubble but had run away after the incident on last night.
Police traced the four workers in Bayan Lepas this afternoon, Usuf told the publication.
He said rescue teams “dug up the entire scene” and had used canines in the search for bodies. Drones were also used, but none of the four said to be missing under the rubble were found.
Subsequent investigations discovered that the four had been present at the scene when the building collapsed, but ran away as soon as it occurred.
They were arrested today at 4pm and will be investigated, Usuf said, although police also believe they ran out of fear.
He also announced an end to the search and recovery operation at 6.30pm today.
The building under construction was a logistics warehouse. Its collapse at 9.58pm yesterday and claimed the lives of three Bangladeshi workers, two of whom were found dead at the scene while another died while enroute to hospital.
Another two are reported to be in critical condition at Penang Hospital.
The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) in Penang has issued a stop-work order at the site in Batu Maung so that the collapse can be investigated for any violations of legal guidelines.
The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) will also conduct preliminary and detailed investigations.
Meanwhile, a representative from the company that employed one of the deceased Bangladeshi workers said his remains will be repatriated to his home country.
The worker, identified as Sayful, 29, had worked for the company for five years and regularly sent money home to his family, the representative told Bernama. – November 29, 2023