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Penang Bridge Accident: Darkness, choppy seas force rescuers to call off SUV retrieval

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The retrieval for the SUV had been stopped at 7pm due to bad weather. The lifting process will be carried out tomorrow. – Bernama
The retrieval for the SUV had been stopped at 7pm due to bad weather. The lifting process will be carried out tomorrow. – Bernama

GEORGE TOWN: Bad weather conditions today forced rescuers to call off the operation to retrieve the sports utility vehicle (SUV), which plunged into the sea from the Penang Bridge yesterday.

The rescue operation will resume at 9am tomorrow.

Marine Police Region 1 commander ACP Rosman Ismail said the operation to lift the car from the sea using a crane began at 6pm today but called it off at 7.30pm.

“The rescuers tried four times to retrieve the car but the operation had to be stopped as the team was hampered by darkness, strong current and choppy sea condition,” he told reporters at the location, adding that the strong current also caused the cable used to lift the car to snap a few times.

He said PLUS had advised them to start work at 9am tomorrow to avoid congestion on the bridge as it was a working day.

“But our rescue boats will be at the scene by 7am,” he said.

The Mazda CX-5 SUV, driven by college student Moey Yun Peng, 20 plunged into the sea after colliding with another car at Km 4.0 of the Penang Bridge at 2.54am yesterday.

Rescuers located the car at 4pm today at Pillar 34 of the Penang Bridge. A high-capacity crane arrived at the scene at 5.45pm to begin retrieval work.

It was not known if the driver, who had been identified as a 20-year-old student, Moey Yun Peng, was in the car. – Bernama

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