Sibu shophouse collapse: Public safety top priority, investigation ongoing, says deputy minister

SIBU (Feb 13): The areas and roads surrounding a collapsed building at Jalan Pahlawan have been cordoned off indefinitely to ensure public safety, said Sarawak Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang.

He stressed that neither tenants nor occupants of the eight affected units are allowed to enter the buildings to retrieve personal belongings.

“Whatever decision we make is to ensure top priority for public safety. The buildings are still not stable yet and we do not know what will happen next,” he told a press conference here.

Also present was Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting and representatives from the Public Works Department (JKR), Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM), the District Office, and contractors involved in the building’s construction.

Early this morning, the corner unit of a shophouse block at Jalan Pahlawan collapsed onto the road, affecting eight units in the row.

Tiang acknowledged the distress of tenants and shop owners prevented from accessing their properties but said public safety cannot be compromised.

“This morning, when myself and Ting visited the site, we still heard cracking sounds and falling debris.

“The situation is still not safe and nobody knows what will happen next. Hopefully, members of the public will stay away from the place,” he said, adding that the police will maintain 24-hour surveillance to prevent trespassing.

Highlighting a silver lining, Tiang noted that no injuries were reported.

“The fact that there was no injury when the building collapsed was one of the best things to happen in such an incident.

“We could not afford to have anyone getting injured when accessing the building to get their belongings when the situation is still not safe,” he said.

He also pointed out that the early-morning timing of the collapse helped avoid a potentially disastrous outcome.

On the cause of the collapse, Tiang said it will be determined by engineers and technicians.

“Give them some time and we will come to that soon,” he said.

The committee will hold a second meeting on Feb 23 to provide updates, but Tiang said there is no confirmed timeline for when the area will be reopened.

Meanwhile, Ting confirmed that water and electricity to the affected buildings have been disconnected. He urged shop owners to contact SMC to discuss the next steps.

Meanwhile, Ting said water and electricity of the affected buildings have been disconnected, and called on the shop owners to contact SMC for further discussion on how to deal with the buildings.

“If the affected block of buildings are unsafe, the owners have to dismantle, flatten the buildings and clear the debris so that the roads can be reopened,” he said.

He said whether the owners wanted to rebuild the shophouses is up to them.

“This is the case right now and for the time being, we just have to wait for the report,” said Ting.