ANOTHER SHOCK MISHAP: MAN WAVES GOODBYE BEFORE JUMPING OFF PENANG BRIDGE IN SUICIDE BID – EVEN AS COPS FAIL TO LIFT SUV THAT PLUNGED INTO THE SEA 3 DAYS AGO AFTER HIGH-SPEED RACE

GEORGE TOWN – Footage of a man waving goodbye before jumping off the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah this morning has found its way on social media.

The victim, dressed in a black suit, was seen standing on the ledge of the guard rail, before he jumped backwards.

Lucky for the 33-year-old business planning executive, a fisherman came to his aid and rescued him.

Southwest district police chief Superintendent A.A. Anbalagan said the incident happened at KM12.1 of the bridge at about 8.30am.

He said the victim had driven his Perodua Kancil to the bridge, parked by the side of the road before leaping over.

“A fisherman, who spotted him, pulled him to safety at about 9.30am.

“He was then taken to the Marine base in Batu Uban before being sent to the Penang Hospital for treatment. He is in a stable condition,” he said.

Anbalagan said interviews with the victim’s friends and in-law found that he had a fight with his wife, and that she had demanded a divorce.

“The victim suffered from depression,” he added.

The case is being investigated under Section 309 of the Penal Code.

Penang Bridge crash: Effort to retrieve SUV continues on day three of SAR

GEORGE TOWN – The third day of the search and rescue (SAR) for the CX-5 sports utility vehicle (SUV) which plunged into the sea at KM4 of the Penang Bridge resumed at 7am today.

Rescuers’ main mission today is to lift the vehicle from the sea floor.

Yesterday, rescuers spotted the vehicle at 4pm on the sea floor, about 15m away from the 34th pillar of the bridge.

However, efforts to retrieve the vehicle with a crane were suspended at 7.30pm due to the weather conditions and poor visibility.

It is believed that the victim was still strapped in the driver’s seat.

Marine Police Region 1 commander Assistant Commissioner Rosman Ismail said the patrol boats had been on site to secure the area.

“Even the team of divers have been on site to assess the area. For now, the sea condition is much better than yesterday’s.

“We will try our level best to retrieve the vehicle today,” he said when met at the operations centre today, adding that rescuers were facing difficulty in hooking the vehicle to lift it.

Yesterday, divers had made three attempts to hook the vehicle’s wheels before they succeeded on the forth.

However, the one-and-a-half hour effort to retrieve the vehicle using a crane was unsuccessful and was subsequently suspended.

The SUV plunged into sea after being rammed into by a Toyota Vios at 2.54am on Sunday. The Mazda CX-5 was driven by 20-year-old student Moey Yun Peng.

The 21-year-old driver of the Vios was injured and is being treated at a private hospital here.

– NST