One worker dies, two others injured in fall from building under construction

GEORGE TOWN: A worker died and two others were badly injured after they fell several floors at a 32-storey condominium building under construction here today.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department senior superintendent A. Ravi said the two Indonesians and a Myanmar, who had yet to be identified, fell after a wooden platform they were standing on when cementing the exterior wall of the building at the 22nd floor broke at 9.50am.
"They fell onto the eighth floor of the building. One of them, an Indonesian, died on the spot while the other two were badly injured," he told reporters.
He said the body of the 39-year-old Indonesian was sent to the Penang Hospital.
The two injured workers, in their 30s, were also sent there for treatment.
Ravi said more than 40 workers were cementing or painting the building at the time of the incident.
Ravi said 18 firemen were rushed to the construction site in two trucks for the rescue operation.
He also said that it was learnt that the Penang Island Municipal Council had ordered a stop to all work at the building pending an investigation.
A Myanmar worker in his 30s, who wanted to be identified only as Mohammad, said the platform broke all of a sudden and he saw the three workers fall and shout for help as they went down.
"Our supervisor rushed from the ground floor to the eighth and tried to help but one of the workers had lost consciousness by then.
"The supervisor then ordered all workers to stop work and gather at an open space on the ground floor," he said.
Meanwhile, Penang Department of Occupational Safety and Health director Mohd Anuar Embi said a team had been sent to investigate the cause of the accident.
"We were notified of the accident at about 10am. I sent a team to investigate," he said. – Bernama