GEORGE TOWN: Three abandoned pre-war houses collapsed opposite the iconic Komtar building, sending jittery to residents nearby.

The 10.30pm incident on Monday evening in Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong jolted the neigbourhood when the premises’ rooftops, wooden columns and concrete walls crashed to the ground.

Fortunately no one was injured in the incident which happened opposite the Komtar Walk.

A check at the scene today showed the three vacant shophouses in a row were reduced to rubbles following the self destruction.

 A 63-year-old resident living in the vicinity, who wanted to be known as Tan, said he heard several loud bangs.

“I thought there was an earthquake when the ground shoke violently for a few seconds.

“My neighbours and I had a shock to see the three houses came crashing down and the air was filled with dust,” Tan said while met at site.

State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the three dilapidated houses were being restored prior to their collapse.

However, Chow said the restoration process stalled a few years ago and the local council had hoarded the site for precautionary measure.

“The owners did not finish the rehabilitation works and the delay has caused the flimsy structure to give way,” Chow said,

He urged abandoned houses’ owners in Penang, especially those with crumbling structure to speed up the rehabilitation works to prevent the same incident from happening again.

Meanwhile, following the incident Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng said the onus was on the owners to upkeep the buildings.

‘These properties are listed as part of the Penang heritage buildings, the owners must make sure steps are taken to preserve it.

“These buildings which are old and unoccupied are often a problem if they are not regularly maintained as they will decay and crumble.

“The condition is made worse by trees growing inside these buildings and damage the structure from within,” he said at a press conference.

He said the Penang Island Municipal Council had issued a notice to the owners pursuant to Section 82 of the Local Goverment Act 1976 whereby they were required to clear up the premises and secure it so that it would not be a nuisance to the public.

“If they fail to take an action within two weeks, the council will step in to remedy the situation,’ he said.