A couple from China had a shock of their lives and sustained injuries after the ceiling of a Chinese halal restaurant fell on them in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
As a result of the incident, one of the victims had to have her left leg amputated and is scheduled to undergo another surgery for her spine.
China tourist has left leg cut off after ceiling collapses
In a brief interview with the victim’s husband, who declined to be named, he told The Star that he and his wife were on holiday in Sabah to visit their son and help him with his restaurant.
He added his son has been operating the restaurant at Kompleks Segama for the past two years.
On the day of the incident, which occurred on Mar 7, the couple were having dinner inside the restaurant when the ceiling suddenly fell on top of them, resulting in severe injuries for the woman.
“Doctors could not save her left leg and amputation had to be done immediately. She still needs a second surgery as she had also injured her spine,” her husband told The Star, adding treatment plans are still in the discussion phase.
However, he expressed gratefulness towards those who have expressed concern for his and his wife’s wellbeing over the incident.
‘Check & maintain your buildings’
Following the incident, Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) director-general (finance sector) Sr Lifred Wong called upon building owners to carry out periodic maintenance on their assets to ensure public safety.
He added notices were issued to building owners in 2024 reminding them to do proper maintenance and structural integrity tests, but not all have heeded it.
Integrity tests are supposed to be carried out from time to time, especially on dilapidated or old buildings, to ensure the safety of the public,” he said as quoted by The Borneo Post.
The online portal also reported that Kompleks Segama, which was built in the 1970s, was allegedly made with inferior quality construction materials and that it was one of the assets which had a notice issued against it by DBKK last year.
“The most important thing is that we will ask for structural integrity tests to be carried out at the lots nearby the Segama building, before the rest.
“There are provisions in our laws for action to be taken against those who refuse, but we have the rights to ask them to do the test and we do not want to force, so we will continue to issue out these notices,” said Wong.
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