The firefighters could not get their engines up the hill. So they climbed it, 15 minutes on foot with stretchers and emergency equipment, to reach a tourist van lying in a ravine more than six metres deep at Bukit Genting, Balik Pulau, Penang.
The van had skidded off the road on Sunday night, 24 September. A Singaporean woman died at the scene. Ten other people were hurt.
The rescue
The Seri Balik Pulau Fire and Rescue Station got the alert at 8.20pm, and crews were there ten minutes later. N. Prenavaran, the station’s operations chief, described what they found. “One woman was found to have died, seven were still trapped in the vehicle while three others were lifted to a safe place with the help of the public,” he said.
One of the trapped passengers was a woman wedged beside the driver’s seat. Firefighters had to cut away the dashboard and steering wheel with special equipment to free her. The last victim was out at about 10.45pm.
Who was in the van
South West District police chief Kamarul Rizal Jenal said there were 11 people in the van, eight women and three men. Ten were Singaporean tourists. The driver is a local man. Police believed the passengers were an elderly group on holiday in Penang, though none had been formally identified when he spoke.
The injured went to Penang Hospital and Balik Pulau Hospital. An autopsy on the dead woman was set for the next day. Police said the cause of the crash was under investigation.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Yahoo Southeast Asia on Monday that it was giving consular help to the families through the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. “MFA extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the ministry said.
Sources
- Singaporean tourist killed, 10 others injured as van plunges into ravine in Penang – The Leaders Online
- Singaporean tourist dies, 10 others hurt as van plunges into ravine in Penang
