The building was still under construction when it collapsed. Construction was ongoing to build a three-story building comprising several shops.
"According to records, about 84 construction workers were hired to construct the building. As of now, 67 of them have been evacuated while the other 14 are still missing," Andri remarked.
At least five survivors have been evacuated to the nearest hospital as they suffered injuries and needed immediate medical attention.
As to the fate of the missing workers, Andri claimed that it was not yet clear whether they were inside the building because witnesses are unsure of the last location of the victims when the building collapsed.
The workers of the collapsed building are mostly from cities in the East Java Province, such as Trenggalek, Kediri, Tulung Agung, and Ponorogo.
The join rescue teams that evacuated the victims comprise the Samarinda Police, Samarinda Civil Service Officer, Indonesian Red Cross personnel, and Samarinda Fire Fighter team.
The team is also operating heavy machinery to lift the building debris and rescue the buried victims at the location.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
