BALIK PULAU – An elderly Singaporean woman was killed while 10 others were injured when their tour van skidded and plunged 6m into a ravine near Bukit Genting in the Teluk Kumbar-Balik Pulau stretch of the elevated highway during a downpour last night.
There were 11 persons in the van during what is believed to be the worst road mishap involving tourists in Penang this year.
Fortunately, the impact was cushioned due to the vegetation down the slope, otherwise more lives could have been lost in the crash around 8.30pm.
Rescuers from the Balik Pulau Fire and Rescue Department together with civil defence personnel climbed down to the crash site with ropes before extracting the victims in a precision evacuation.
They were afraid as the van was leaking from its diesel tank and may have caught fire.
District fire and rescue operations officer N. Prenavaran said a distress call was logged at 8.20pm and firemen arrived 10 minutes later.
Upon reaching the road shoulder, they encountered difficulty in accessing the crash site and had to hike up and down with stretchers and chainsaws.
It took them 15 minutes to skilfully navigate down to the site.
“Our rescuers were in a line formation, and we hiked downhill to rescue the trapped victims one by one. Safety was of paramount importance due to the steep and slippery slope, and it was pitch dark coupled with rain.”
“When we arrived, three of the victims were brought uphill with the help of Good Samaritans from the area,” he told journalists.
Prenavaran said there were seven women and three men altogether.
One of the female passengers unfortunately died at the scene.
The injured were rushed to the district hospital some 11km away while those with more serious injuries were taken to Penang Hospital some 20km away.
Penang exco for tourism Wong Hon Wai extended his condolences to the families of the victims and plans to visit the injured later today.
He thanked the rescue team for their brave efforts in the operation. – The Vibes, September 25, 2023
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