Council president Sukeri Ibrahim said the resort operator had submitted an application with the building’s plans in August 2021 for approval, amid the movement control order (MCO) that was in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, this was rejected by the district council on Sept 12, 2021, for several reasons, including failure to present a permanent plan on the construction and the necessary policy approval from the economic planning unit.

Sukeri said a technical review by the state fire and rescue department also did not endorse approving the architectural plan on Aug 29 that year.

“The construction seems to have been carried out before the planning permission was submitted and approved,” he said, adding that the council had not received any new application from the resort operator after the original plan was not approved.

Yesterday, the Terengganu fire and rescue department said four Myanmar workers were buried underneath the rubble of the building after it collapsed in the morning. Four other Myanmar workers were also injured in the incident.