IPOH – More than 15 members of a congregation were startled when they heard a loud sound amid a storm while performing Asar prayers at Surau Diri Jumaat Al-Ansar at the Seri Palma housing estate in Bandar Seri Botani here yesterday.
One of the members, Semsudin Abu Baker, 71, said, however, they continued to pray when they heard the noise due to the collapse of a telecommunication tower at about 4.47 pm.
“After the prayers, we looked around at the place where the sound came from and saw that a 30-metre high telecommunications network transmitter station tower had collapsed and completely damaged a cabin located behind the surau.
“Thankfully, the cabin used as the accommodation premises for the Siak (surau staff) was unoccupied at the time of the incident,” he said when met by reporters at the location today.
Meanwhile, surau chairman Mohd Fadzli Ahmad said he was saddened when he was informed of the incident by the Bilal on duty.
Meanwhile, Perak Youth, Sports, Communication and Multimedia Committee chairman Khairul Shahril Mohamed said the owner of the tower, Prosontech Sdn. Bhd. (Prosontech) will arrange for compensation over the damage caused.
He said as a stop-gap measure, a Portable Base Transceiver Station would be placed in the area to provide the necessary cellular services.
“About 1,000 subscribers of Digi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd. (Digi) services are expected to experience reduced capacity at this time so it is hoped that they will remain patient as the situation is expected to improve by Friday.
He said Prosontech would replace the ruined structures immediately after submitting the plans and design of the new tower according to the specifications, and is expected to be erected within three months.
