Penang warehouse collapse: Workers recall horrifying sounds of crash

GEORGE TOWN: Workers at the site where a three-storey logistics complex under construction in Batu Maung here collapsed on Tuesday (Nov 28) night recalled the horrifying sounds of the crash.

They were then saddened to hear news that their colleagues were trapped in the rubble, they told the media on Wednesday (Nov 29).

Among them was 38-year-old Bangladeshi national Mohamad Ikhthiar, who described the crash as "earth-shaking".

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"I was working at an adjacent site when suddenly, there was a loud noise.

"Structures like large concrete beams in the middle section came down and it was chaotic.

"Together with other workers, we went to check and were shocked to find that many of the beams had fallen in a stack.

"There were cries for help but the beams were just too heavy for us to lift without machinery.

"Later we realised that other workers were trapped beneath the rubble," he said,

Mohamad, who had just started working at the site about three months ago, said rescuers soon arrived and cordoned off the area.

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Another worker who wished to be identified only as Mohsir, 50, was seen waiting anxiously at the gate after he was prevented from entering the site.

He said he was lucky to escape the mishap but his friends were not so fortunate.

"A group of us went to perform prayers while the other group continued to work at the site.

"Just after I left the site, I got a phone call about the incident and rushed back.

"I don't know who exactly the victims are, but they're definitely people I know," he said, adding that he had been in Malaysia for 32 years but only started working at the site a few months ago.

Meanwhile, a total of nine victims were reported to have been on-site during the incident.

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As of noon, rescuers have found five and are still searching for the remaining four.

Three of the five were pronounced dead while two were seriously injured.

It was reported that in March last year, Titijaya Land Berhad and DHL Supply Chain (M) Sdn signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to develop the logistics complex in Bayan Lepas.

It will comprise offices, automatic rack systems, a warehouse and various utilities.