JERTIH – Another life has been lost in the aftermath of a collapsed resort being built on Pulau Perhentian without approval.
Bernama reports that the victim, an Indonesian named Bahul Jamil, 42, had been buried alive in the Thursday incident and succumbed to his injuries at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, this morning.
He is the second person to be killed in the collapse.
Besut district police chief Abdul Rozak Muhammad said that the cause of the victim’s death was severe injuries to several parts of the body.
“The victim was found under the rubble at 1.18pm on Thursday after being trapped for about eight hours after the 4.30am incident.
“Bahul’s death brought the death toll due to the incident to two. The body of the first victim, identified as Suparno, 40, was found at 2.15pm on Friday,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
It was reported on Friday that the resort was being constructed illegally since the movement control order for the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Although the resort operator applied for approval of the building plans and planning permission in August 2021, these were rejected by the Besut District Council.
The resort operator also did not have planning permission from a registered town planner, nor did the Fire and Rescue Department approve the building plan.
During the collapse on Thursday, six construction workers were asleep at the site, some of whom were buried in the rubble but managed to free themselves. – November 12, 2023