Forklift sinks into road in front of Menara Umno

Exactly two months after the lighting rod from atop Menara Umno in Penang fell due to a violent storm, killing two, including hawker Lim Chin Aik, a part of Jalan Macalister today sunk, causing a forklift to fall in.

The forklift’s driver was able to escape from his vehicle during the incident, which occurred at about 5.50pm as the vehicle was exiting the Pakistan mosque where it was earlier used for drainage repair works.

When contacted, Penang Municipal Councillor engineer A Rajan said workmen were repairing the drain culvert in front of the mosque.

"The drain is about 1.5m deep. The repair work will be done by tomorrow," he told Malaysiakini.

Asked if the area was the same in which Lim was killed, while only 50 metres away, Rajan denied it had any relation “to Lim Chin Aik’s excavation work".

Lim’s body is believed to be entombed in the road, still buried in a crater created by the 50m-long lightning rod which fell in front of the Umno building.

During the incident in June, rescue workers had spent several days trying to dig up the area to find Lim's (right) body, but was unsuccessful.

The team, who worked around the clock, however, only managed to discover parts of his Honda City before the search was eventually called of due to safety concerns that the surrounding buildings may be affected should digging continue.

This evening’s accident caused a traffic jam along the busy road.

Even so, Komtar assemblyperson Teh Lai Heng said the road was safe for use. Jalan Macalister leads to the heart of George Town, where Komtar is situated.

"It happened because the forklift carried heavy boxes, such that the road caved in," he said.