Stop work for now, Zuraida tells Taman Desa condo builder after slab falls

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — All construction work on The Address condominium in Taman Desa must stop with immediate effect, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said tonight after a concrete slab from the building’s sixth floor collapsed earlier in the day.

Two men were trapped underneath in the debris in the 3.30pm incident but have since been extricated and sent for emergency medical treatment, several news outlets reported.

“Alhamdulillah, our main task to save today’s victims is over. After this we will continue investigations to find out the case and such.

“This project will be stopped for a month pending the results of investigations by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health on the building structure,” Malay daily Harian Metro quoted Zuraida telling reporters of the construction site.

She said she will speak to Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad and the Department of National Housing about the incident tomorrow.

She gave an assurance that action will be taken after the investigation report.

A concrete slab that was part of the building’s swimming pool structure on the sixth floor reportedly crashed at about 3.30pm today, trapping two people underneath.

The first man, whom KL Fire and Rescue Deparment chief Nordin Pauzi said in a statement was a 37-year-old Bangladeshi, was extricated at about 5.15pm and rushed to Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s “Red Zone” for critical medical treatment.

The second person was unearthed at about 9.40pm, some five hours later, according to Harian Metro.

National news agency Bernama reported the second man to be also Bangladeshi, aged 26.

The Address, a 202-unit, low-density residential project on a rise next to a public school began construction at the end of 2017 and has faced considerable resistance from Taman Desa residents who complained of noise pollution and of the developer ignoring construction conditions set by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

This is not the first time the project has suffered construction problems.

On January 23, 2018, a crane toppled on its side during construction and caused damage to the adjoining property, Tiara Faber Condominium.

In a statement on The Address’ official Facebook page this evening, Maxim Holdings management acknowledged the incident and sought to assure buyers that it is committed to “ensuring the highest of building standard and the integrity of the development”.

“We will spare no effort in ensuring our obligations under the SPA are fulfilled fully. Please have our assurance on that,” it said in the statement.

It asked purchasers to contact their personnel for any clarification.