KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 — Today marks the 20th anniversary of the worst construction tragedy in the history of Malaysia.
On Dec 11, 1993, Block A of the Highland Towers condominium complex came crashing down after days of heavy rain, killing 48 people, including a Japanese woman who was pulled out of the rubble alive. Two others who were rescued — Umi Rashidah Khoruman, 22, and daughter 18-month-old Nur Hamidah Najib — survived.
Highland Towers will live on in the memories of Malaysians as a stark reminder to not neglect the environment in the name of development.
The Malay Mail visited the site yesterday where Blocks B and C stand abandoned.
Also present were teenagers, Syazwan Hamzah, 16, and Ezrin Syafiq, 17, who decided to go there after having watched the movie Highland Towers.
“We came here because we wanted to see for ourselves what it really looked like,” said Syazwan.
They brought cameras to take snapshots and compare with what was documented in the movie.
“This is my first time here. Ezrin has visited this place many times,” he added.
Although the entrance to the complex was gated, they managed to find a way in by crawling under a drainage.
Ezrin said many visited the site but due to the rain, no one showed up yesterday.
Murals, graffiti and broken furniture were seen at Block C.
Nearby residents were either not at home or refused to comment when approached by The Malay Mail.
