Section of Second Penang Bridge collapses

Section of Second Penang Bridge collapses
The Malaysian Insider
By Opalyn Mok

GEORGE TOWN, June 6 — A section of the second Penang bridge which is under construction at Batu Maung here collapsed at around 6.50pm.

The section of about 30m in length had collapsed onto the Jalan Batu Maung below it and a car is believed to be buried under the debris.

The Fire and Rescue Department personnel are now digging through the debris to ascertain if anyone is trapped under the collapsed bridge.

Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB) public relations and communications department deputy manager Azizi Azizan confirmed that  a section of Package 3A of the Second Penang Bridge project had collapsed.

“That is the section connecting the bridge to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway,” he told The Malaysian Insider in a telephone interview.

The section is still under construction and the contractor was supposed to complete it and hand over the completed section by next month, he added.

“Construction works were ongoing when it happened but we have ordered immediate stop work on all construction works following the incident,” he said.

It is still too early to determine the cause of the collapse but JKSB will conduct a full investigation into the incident.

Azizi could not confirm if any workers were on the bridge when it collapsed.

“I have received reports that vehicles are trapped underneath but we have to wait for further confirmation from the rescue personnel,” he said.

JKSB will release a full statement on the incident by tomorrow.

As of 9pm, the Fire and Rescue Department personnel are still removing scaffolding and debris on the collapsed section.

It is believed that a motorcyclist who was injured in the incident was immediately taken to the hospital shortly after the incident at around 7pm.

The authorities could not confirm any other casualties in the incident yet.

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- wong chee tat :)