The Works Ministry has issued a stop-work order on the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) site, where a crane collapse earlier today killed three workers and injured a motorist.

According to Works Minister Fadillah Yusof, the roads near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai in Cheras, was closed on both sides, and only rescue works will be allowed to go on until the contractor involved comes up with security measures.

In the incident earlier this morning, three highway construction workers - all China nationals, were killed when one of the gantry crane components collapsed at the SUKE multi-level highway construction site.

Two of the workers 120 feet from the construction site and died at the scene, while the third worker succumbed later after being stuck on the scaffolding. The driver of a Perodua Bezza, which was crushed by steel from the crane component, sustained serious injuries.

Two other workers were later rescued by the authorities.

The cause of the incident is still being investigated.

This is the second fatal accident in SUKE this month. On March 3, two women were killed while three others, including the van driver, were injured after a portion of a bridge under construction on the SUKE construction project near Desa Tun Razak, Cheras, collapsed on the vehicle, pinning the victims inside.

The collapse happened after a trailer hit the steel frame of a pedestrian bridge at the site, causing the iron scaffolding and the frame to collapse on the van. The trailer driver later tested positive for methamphetamine.


Source: The Star, Free Malaysia Today
Photo source: Bernama, Facebook