Car plunges into sea after Penang driver takes wrong turn

An early morning drive in Penang took an unexpected turn after a driver accidentally drove off a wharf into the sea.

The middle-aged motorist from Georgetown was reportedly driving along the Butterworth Outer Ring Road at around 6am when he mistakenly took the wrong exit into the North Butterworth Container Terminal.

He made his way through the check-post for trailers thinking it was a highway toll booth and got past as the boom gate was not lowered.

The driver continued on, unaware that he was not on a highway until he made his way onto a wharf, where he saw the sea and container cranes looming in front of him.

According to Seberang Perai Utara district police chief Mohd Asri Shafie, the driver tried to make a U-turn but did not notice there was an embankment to his right and accidentally drove into the sea.

He said the driver managed to escape the sinking car by swimming out the window, and was then rescued by two pilot boat crew members nearby.

“The driver was rescued and sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital for a medical examination. He was treated as an out-patient and discharged.

"The car is still in the sea at the wharf and the Fire and Rescue Department will salvage the car on Monday,” Asri told Malaysiakini.

He said police have also taken the driver's statement, while the Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) had lodged a police report over the matter.

Police are investigating the case for reckless driving. - Mkini