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SINGAPORE – A false ceiling collapsed in the basement level of Lucky Plaza on the morning of April 6, likely due to its improper installation, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which added that the building remains structurally sound.<\/p>\n
BCA said in a media reply on the same day that it was alerted to a \u201cfallen suspended ceiling\u201d in the Orchard Road mall and that no one was hurt.<\/p>\n
It did not say when it was alerted, but videos of the incident that were circulated on social media said the collapse took place around 7.45am.<\/p>\n
BCA\u2019s spokesperson added that its engineers conducted an inspection and found that the mall remains structurally sound. There are no imminent signs of danger to the units near the collapsed ceiling.<\/p>\n
According to the National Library Board\u2019s online resources, Lucky Plaza was built in the late 1970s.<\/p>\n
Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that the area around the incident site had been cordoned off after the incident.<\/p>\n
Several security personnel were seen stationed outside the cordoned area to guide shoppers to take a detour, it added.<\/p>\n
A female employee of a watch shop at Lucky Plaza told Zaobao that she had been preparing to open the store when she heard a loud bang.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cAt first, I thought it was the store above opening the shutter too hard. But when I went outside, I saw a large section of the ceiling had collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily it was still early (when the incident happened). There were no customers at the site and the shops hadn\u2019t opened yet, so no one was injured. It\u2019s a good thing it collapsed today. If it had happened on the weekend, someone would definitely have been injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
BCA said it has directed the building owner to appoint a qualified person to investigate the cause of the incident, advise on the necessary precautionary measures to eliminate any remaining hazards, and recommend appropriate permanent rectification measures to ensure safety.<\/p>\n
The Straits Times has contacted Far East Organization for more details. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n