Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel inspecting the damage the collapsed roof caused to the canteen building.
KUCHING: Two workers were lucky to escape unscatched after an abandoned canteen block at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Siol Kanan collapsed this afternoon.
Hijrah Samawi, 36, said she was sweeping the floor when she heard a loud crack which prompted her and colleague Dijana Mohamad, 28, to rush out of the building.
“I heard a loud ‘prak’ sound. Without thinking, I quickly ran away from the building because I had a bad feeling that the building would collapse.
“And it really did collapse. Thank God I made it out unscatched,” she said when met at the scene.
According to her, the canteen block had been closed for a month after school authorities found out it was in bad condition and in need of repairs.
“Fortunately, the incident happened at 12.45pm after the pupils had all left because the school was holding its sports day in the morning. Otherwise, the situation could have been worse,” she added.
Two workers were lucky to escape harm before the roof fell on their heads.
Meanwhile, Dijana said she was washing plates near the block when she heard the loud crack.
“I saw Hijrah running, and I also panicked and ran as far as I could from the building,” she said.
A spokesman from the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Kuching in a statement said only the school canteen block was completely destroyed in the incident.
He added that the department had disconnected electrical power to the affected building to avoid further damage.
“The affected area has been being cordoned off. For the information of the public, Kuching District Education Office and SK Siol Kanan had ordered the building to be closed for the past one month for fear of their safety.
“The school authorities had also written to the Public Works Department (JKR) before this to have the defects on the building checked,” he said.
A school worker met at the scene also said the school had applied to have the canteen block repaired and was waiting for the work to be tendered out.
SK Siol Kanan, which has morning and afternoon sessions, has 875 pupils including those who go for pre-school classes, as well as 59 teachers and eight non academic staff.