SIBU, Feb. 23 -- Authorities have deferred plans to allow shop owners to re-enter the collapsed shophouse at Jalan Pahlawan here to retrieve valuables after a preliminary assessment by the Public Works Department (JKR) deemed the structure critically unsafe, said Datuk Michael Tiang.

The Sarawak Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government revealed that the preliminary report by JKR, based on an on-site inspection carried out on Feb 19, indicated worsening conditions, including cracks on the road surface.

He also did not rule out the possibility that the building would eventually have to be demolished, stressing that public safety is paramount.

Tiang told reporters this after a second emergency meeting here on Monday,...