A popular Riffa mall in Bahrain will remain closed for at least a week while repairs are carried out after part of the ceiling collapsed.

Enma Mall in East Riffa was evacuated on Saturday evening after chunks of plaster, wood and metalwork came crashing down in the central atrium of the shopping complex, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, ordered an immediate inquiry into the collapse and at Cabinet yesterday vowed to take action against those responsible.

Minister of State for Information Affairs and official government spokeswoman Sameera Rajab spoke after the weekly session to announce that - following an initial building survey - no structural faults had been found at the mall.

"The collapse had nothing to do with the building's engineering, it was caused by the way the interior dŽcor was put up, which caused plaster to fall," Rajab said.

"The building's structure is sound, according to Works Minister Essam Khalaf, and when the investigation is complete, those responsible will face action.

"Bahrain has never seen an incident like this before, because as a government we are committed to safety and quality."

Owner and operator of the mall, Enma House for Real Estate, in a statement, expressed sincere regret for the unfortunate incident at the mall on Saturday.

The management of the mall is working with authorities concerned, to rectify the problem as swifty as possible and all resources have been made available to once again provide residents with a safe and enjoyable shopping and leisure destination, it said.

The management thanked His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, for ordering an independent technical investigation into the cause of the incident.

It also expressed appreciation for the efforts of Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi, Works Minister Essam Khalaf and Southern Governor Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa.

The Interior Ministry, represented by the Civil Defence department, was praised for its rapid response to the crisis and the safe evacuation of everyone present.

Meanwhile, former Central Municipal Council chairman Abdulrazzak Al Hattab told the GDN that compensation should be paid to all traders whose business had been affected.

He said scores of traders would have lost trade following the mall's closure.

"We are now seeking assistance from the Industry and Commerce Ministry to get the list of traders and see how we can get compensation for them, as they won't have any business when the mall is closed for renovation," he said.

Dr Al Hattab, who was one of the officials called, said that the chunk of plaster, measuring approximately 20 by nine metres, had fallen due to "incorrect materials" being used in its installation.

"We are now communicating with the contractor to determine what happened and have asked them to carry out maintenance to ensure there is no repeat of this incident."

A Pakistani national was hurt in the collapse and taken to hospital for treatment, but has since been discharged. - TradeArabia News Service