Three dead as MRT concrete beam falls on them in Kota Damansara

A picture of the fallen beam tweeted by the Fire and Rescue Department (@bombaJBPM).

Three construction workers are feared dead after 300 tonnes of concrete laid for the ongoing construction of an overhead rail passage of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line collapsed near Kota Damansara late yesterday. 

A spokesman of the Sungai Buloh Fire and Rescue Department said the incident occurred at about 9.40pm and firemen rushed over to the scene on receiving a distress call. 

It is learnt that the three victims, who were part of the building team, were caught by surprise when the concrete beam, a span of the guideway, weighing about 300 tonnes, came crashing on them. While several of their colleagues managed to scramble to safety or were pulled out by bystanders, the three were believed to have been buried under the tonnes of concrete. 

The Fire and Rescue Department's Special Tactical Operation Rescue Malaysia (Storm) and K9 tracker down unit were summoned and began carrying out the arduous task of tracing the location of the victims. 

It later revealed the names of the three workers unaccounted for, namely Bangladesh nationals Mohamad Faruk Khan, Mohammad Elahi Hossain and Mohammad Alauddin Mollik.

MRT Corp said no members of the public were involved in the incident as there was no access to the site and investigations have commenced to determine the cause of the incident.

The Fire and Rescue Department's (@bombaJBPM) tweeted picture showing a K-9 unit at the site.

"All work along Package V1 where the incident occurred has been suspended until further notice. The work package contractor for Package V1 is Syarikat Muhibbah Perniagaan dan Pembinaan Sdn Bhd," it said.

MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid, who was at the site, expressed deep regret over the incident.

"Although investigations are underway, MRT Corp assumes full responsibility for the incident. Once investigations are completed, action on those responsible will be taken," he said. 

The spokesman said search-and-rescue work will continue through the night until the victims or their remains are retrieved. 

The Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line project stretches 51km with almost 10km of it being underground rail tracks. The project is expected to be completed in 2017.