A parking space portion of SMDC Jazz Mall and Residences building in Makati City collapsed before noon Thursday.
Makati City chief legal officer and spokesperson Michael Arthur Camina said that based on initial reports, the incident occurred at the 5th floor of the establishment located along Nicanor Garcia Street in Barangay Bel-Air Village.
No one was reported hurt in the incident but at least three vehicles parked in the area were damaged.
In a statement, the SMDC management said “At around 11 a.m., April 30, the facade wall of the parking level at Jazz Mall sustained damages that caused its ouster slab to collapse to the driveway. As of this posting no serious casualties were reported.”
As a safety precaution, it added, residents of the building were directed to stay near Metropolitan Avenue.
“Authorities are currently on the scene conducting a thorough on the incident. All residents are safe and the damages are part of the mall parking side. Units are not affected,” the management said.
Mayor Abigail Binay ordered the deployment of a police bomb squad to check the situation after her office received initial information that there was an explosion when the portion of the building collapsed.
But the responding team did not find traces of explosion.
In a radio interview, Makati City police commander Rogelio Simon said the collapsed wall was found at the Tower D.
“There was no explosion. Maybe it was the sound of the debris or the collapsed wall,” he said.
In a statement, the SMDC said a ‘thorough walk through’ of the mall premises and residential buildings, was conducted by the structural consultant, Sy 2 and Makati City engineers.
The SMDC management assured the public that the incident “does not affect the structural integrity of the development and that the buildings are safe for occupancy.”
It added that “We are relieved to report that, apart from two people who sustained minor abrasions, there were no casualties resulting from this event.”
The SMDC added that the cause of the incident is now being investigated and “we will take whatever measures necessary to address the situation and avoid any recurrence.”
