KUALA LUMPUR – Senior Minister of Works Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has ordered an immediate stop to construction and maintenance works at the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras, here following a crane collapsing incident at the location this morning.
He said the stop-work order was issued to enable investigation to be carried out on the incident in which a crane tipped over and crushed a car at construction site.
“I understand the mishap occurred during maintenance works and the area has been sealed off until the investigation is completed.
“I have also ordered construction works to be halted except for rescue effort which is expected to be completed by midnight,” he told reporters while visiting the incident location here today.
Apart from that, Fadillah said the project developer has also been ordered to find an alternative route for the residents of a nearby apartment which has its access road closed due to the incident.
Fadillah said at the moment, various agencies including the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the Malaysian Highway Authority and the Fire and Rescue Department are evaluating new safety proposals before allowing construction work to proceed at the location concerned.
“I have ordered the safety section of the developer and contractor to provide more safety measures and they would be studied by the agencies responsible,” he said.
“Initial investigations found the contractor of the SUKE Elevated Expressway in the area had complied with the stipulated standard operating procedure,” he said.
Today, three individuals were killed in the incident when a launcher crane fell in the construction site of SUKE near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras, this morning.
Chinese nationals
He said the two dead individuals were Chinese construction workers who fell from a height of 120 feet while maintaining the track.
“The third victim who was also from China, died when he fell on the highway construction track,” he said.
Nordin said rescuers were having difficulty to extricate the body of the third victim as the construction structure was not stable and the victim was trapped between the construction beam and the launcher crane.
Meanwhile, Cheras police chief ACP Mohamed Mokhsein Mohamed Zon said police have opened an investigation paper under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 on the incident.
He said the driver of a Perodua Bezza who was crushed by the crane while passing through was seriously injured and had been brought to Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital.
”Following that, police have temporarily closed the section and created as diversion at Jalan Cerdas here to prevent traffic passing through the scene,” he said.
In this regard, Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (PROLINTAS) which is the holder of the expressway concession announced that the incident was believed to be due to a component of the gantry falling off but investigation into the actual cause is still going on.
“Following the incident, the ‘Emergency Response Team’ of SUKE and firefighters have closed the incident section in both directions and rescue works are still going on,” said the statement.
Following is the chronology of accidents involving construction sites in the country since 2018.
January 25, 2018
A landslide occurred at the SUKE project site located near Taman Bukit Saga, Ampang and construction work was halted for site clearing. There were no injuries or loss of lives reported.
February 26 2018
Projek Lintasan Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang (ProLintas) confirmed a crane crashed at its construction site in Ulu Klang-Ampang MRR2 due to unstable ground where the crane was located. There were no reports of injuries or damage to public properties.
March 8 2019
Two construction workers were injured when a concrete beam fell at SUKE construction site near Taman Kosas junction in Ampang
August 16 2019
Three Chinese national workers were injured after a steel rod beam fell on them at the construction site of SUKE near Taman Connaught, Cheras. In the incident, a man broke his right leg, another fractured his left hand while the third sustained light injuries.
September 19, 2020
A woman escaped death when a concrete slab from construction works at SUKE fell and crushed on her car when she was driving along MRR2.
March 3 2021
A trailer driver crashed into an overhead bridge under construction at SUKE and caused two deaths while three more were seriously injured after the van they were travelling in was crushed by a section of the bridge which collapsed in Desa Tun Razak.
March 22 2021
Three individuals died when a launcher crane toppled at the construction site of SUKE near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras. According to Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department, the incident involved six victims with three of them being construction workers.
ProLintas, the holder of the highway concession said the incident occurred when a component of a gantry fell off.
