KUCHING: The body of a woman, who was in a car that plunged into Sungai Sarawak near the Satok Suspension Bridge here, was removed from the vehicle at noon today.
Two divers from the Batu Lintang Fire and Rescue Station here managed to bring out the victim, identified as Ng Yian Hong, 70, at about 12.57pm after locating the spot where the Perodua Kenari car, driven by the victim, sank.
The state Fire and Rescue Department’s operations centre had, earlier on, received a distress call on the incident at about 10.30am today but the caller could not confirm the number of victims in the vehicle.
As many as 14 firefighters and rescuers from the Padungan Fire Station were deployed to the scene upon receiving the call.
A video showing a silver coloured car partially submerged in the water and a boat with two individuals approaching the vehicle to rescue the victim went viral on social media.
One of the men in the boat, when met at the scene, said he saw the vehicle floating while cleaning garbage in the river.
The man, who introduced himself as Bonnie, said he and his friend rushed to rescue the victim in the vehicle but failed as all four doors were locked from the inside.
“I only saw the victim giving a signal forbidding me to help. I also could not do anything because there was no tool to break the car window.
“We tried to tow the vehicle using a rope but the rope gave way and we could only watch the vehicle sink,” he told reporters when met at the scene.
Meanwhile, Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department head Supt Alexson Naga Chabu, when contacted, said the police were seeking information on the incident. – Bernama
