What a scary thing to happen!
In the early hours of Sunday morning (14 October), it was reported that the plaster ceiling of the lobby at Hilton Hotel, Kuala Lumpur had collapsed, causing one foreign worker to fall from a height of 12 metres (40 feet), according to The Star. The bomba report stated,
“One male Bangladeshi fell 40 feet (12m) and suffered head injuries.”
One eye witness who was at the scene shared some photos of the incident with WORLD OF BUZZ:
The scary incident happened during routine maintenance work involving repairs on the wiring when the ceiling – covering an area measuring 1,500 square feet – suddenly came crashing down. The Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 3.40am and they immediately sent out 26 fire and rescue personnel to the scene, which is located at KL Sentral. The bomba report further stated,
“The collapse occurred as a result of repair works on electrical wiring.”
When the hotel management was contacted by the Straits Times, they confirmed that only one victim was injured during the incident. Due to the harsh fall, the victim reportedly suffered head injuries and is currently being treated at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.
As of 7.30pm today, the whole section of the lobby has been closed off, as white sheets can be seen covering the area, though sounds of construction work can still be heard.
“The area will be temporarily closed to the public. During this time, ORO Café, Chambers Bar and the Lobby Lounge will not be in operation until further notice,” said Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s National Marketing & Communications Director Eugene Oelofse, who also confirmed that the incident happened during the routine maintenance work by an approved maintenance contractor.
Apart from the closed off section, business seems to be running as usual at the hotel.
That’s such a dangerous thing to happen. We wish the foreign worker a speedy recovery and hope that nothing like this ever happens again.
Also read: 30 Years Ago Today: The Tragic Collapse Of A Bridge That Injured Thousands in Penang