Highland Towers tragedy 29 years ago today
The Highland Towers view from above
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The tragedy was the nation's most devastating and shocking high-rise building collapse.
It had three blocks of 12 storey. Block A, B and C build phase by phase between 1974 to 1982 on a terrace hill. It was home to locals and expatriates.
The collapse of Block 1 caused the death of 48 people and thousand others from the remaining two blocks were evacuated for safety reasons.
Over 500 rescue workers, including from Singapore, Japan, France, UK and the US worked around the clock in a desperate race against time to find survivors, despite safety concerns over the stability of the two other towers.
In the first 24 hours, only three survivors were pulled out of the rubble. The search for survivors ended at 3pm, Dec 17 after no signs of life.
In the midst of Kuala Lumpur's highways and skyscrapers, Block 2 and 3 of the abandoned Highland Towers are still standing but have been reduced to concrete and brick shells.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was the deputy prime minister then was tasked with managing the luxury condominium rescue operation.
Following the incident, he urged condominium and skyscraper developments to undergo rigorous inspections to ensure the safety of occupants.
Anwar had proposed the government conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the incident that shook the nation.
On Dec 20, 1993, the government decided to freeze new hillsslope projects’ approval. That temporary ban was lifted on June 23, 1994. There were plans to fix Block 2 and Block 3.
However, further inspections showed that they were structurally unstable.
On 15 Oct, 1994, six residents filed a lawsuit against the developers of Highland Tower and eight other related parties, including AmBank and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, for negligence.
On 2 June 2004, the case was settled out of court after AmBank agreed to pay RM52 million to 139 residents and unit owners in Highland Towers. They also relinquished their right over their properties in the complex.
In 2008, Anwar stated that the Highland Towers tragedy report is comprehensive and should serve as a foundation for future development projects in hilly regions.
