A fire and rescue department official said the incident occurred near the Fisheries Development Board office in Batu Maung around 10pm.

Rescue teams from three fire stations are currently at the scene trying to locate the victims, the official said.

“We can’t say anything for certain on the status of the people trapped at the moment,” the official said when contacted.

According to the official, a total of 18 workers, all Bangladeshi nationals, were first reported to be buried under the rubble.

As of 11.55pm, five people had been rescued, with three of them pulled out from the rubble by other construction workers on site.

Some 12 workers are still missing. One worker was reported to have been killed instantly.

Penang has been hit by a series of construction disasters over the years in view of the large number of development projects being carried out on the island.

In 2017, a 10m hill slope collapsed adjacent to a condominium construction site in Tanjung Bungah, resulting in the death of 11 people.

Subsequently, in 2018, nine construction workers lost their lives in a landslide at a bypass project near Air Itam.

In 2019, a retaining wall collapsed at a resort on Jalan Batu Ferringhi, claiming the lives of four construction workers.

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