Four workers injured in collapse

KUALA BERANG: Four workers were injured when the almost completed glass roof of the new bus and taxi terminal here collapsed.

The RM4.2mil Kuala Berang Express Bus and Taxi Terminal is the fourth public building in Terengganu to suffer from structural problems in the past six months.

In the incident which occurred at 3.15pm yesterday, the 150m-long roof — also called a skylight reflector and made up of hundreds of glass panes — came tumbling down in a loud crash when the steel structure holding it up gave way.

Fifteen workers were installing the glass panes at the main entrance of the terminal during the collapse.

Unsafe zone: What’s left of the collapsed skylight reflector of the bus terminal in Kuala Berang.

Kuala Berang is a major transport hub in the interior of Terengganu and is the main hop-off point for those visiting Tasik Kenyir.

The four who were injured yesterday — a Malaysian supervisor and three Bangladeshis — were cut by pieces of glass when the panes smashed into pieces.

Two of them were working on top of the roof while the other two were standing below.

They were rushed to the Hulu Terengganu Hospital where they received out-patient treatment.

Site supervisor Zahir Hariri, when met at his office close to the construction site, said he heard a thunderous noise while he was attending to some work.

“I dashed out only to discover the glass roof had crumbled. The injured workers were lying on the ground,” he said.

He said work on the 27.4m-wide roof started last week and was almost nearing completion.

He said only wiring work was being done at the terminal before its scheduled opening in February.

“Preliminary checks revealed that the incident could have occurred due to shoddy workmanship,” he added.

Construction of the terminal began in March last year.

The project is under the jurisdiction of the Hulu Terengganu District Council.

Council president Mohd Nor Ibrahim declined to comment.

In June, the roof of the RM300mil Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium collapsed. The stadium was only a year old.

A month later, the Public Works Department closed the RM18mil Batu Burok Aquatic Complex after declaring it unsafe.

Following the two incidents, the PWD was sent to check the Sultan Mahmud Airport, which was also just a year old at the time, and discovered that the roof was leaking.