A man was killed after a ceiling collapsed at Margo City mall in Depok, West Java on Saturday, with a gas leak suspected of triggering a string of incidents that led to the tragedy.
Preliminary investigation by the authorities have so far concluded that, on Saturday afternoon, a gas leak and subsequent explosion caused a service elevator to fall down its shaft from the third floor to the ground floor. That, in turn, caused a nearby ceiling to collapse as well as a wall from a section of the mall’s facade.
A loud boom was heard at the time of the incident, triggering fears of a bomb among mall goers at the time. Police found no evidence of explosives at the scene.
Some of the rubble fell on Muhammad Novandri, a 30-year-old employee at donut chain J.Co, causing serious cranial injuries. Muhammad passed away at the hospital early the next morning.
Eleven people were injured in the incident, including four who sustained burn injuries from the gas leak. They are all expected to recover from their wounds.
The mall — one of the biggest in Depok — is closed for the unforeseeable future as official investigation into the incident continues. The mall’s management says it is covering all of the medical costs for the injured and has given financial compensation of an unspecified amount to Muhammad’s family.
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