The SUV That Crashed Into The Ocean From Penang Bridge Has Been Retrieved At 6pm Today
The two drivers were childhood friends.
UPDATE: Rescuers have retrieved the SUV that plunged into the sea at 6pm today
Image via New Straits Times
The lifeless body of the driver was found still strapped to the seat.
Earlier attempts to carry the vehicle out of the water had proven to be unsuccessful as the initial harnesses had snapped.
Image via Twitter
"We had to wait until the tide was at the lowest and the current slowed down, before we could safely dive in and strap the car," said one of the recovery personnel, reported The Star.
The car was finally hoisted up using four cables attached to a crane.
The tragic accident occurred on Penang bridge when a Mazda CX-5 SUV skidded off the road and plunged into the ocean after a Toyota Vios collided into it at 2.54am on 20 January
Image via Bernama
The vehicle was located at 4pm with the driver's body trapped inside at a depth of 15 metres underneath the bridge.
Operations to retrieve the vehicle began at 5.45pm that same day. However, it was postponed due to "strong currents" and "poor visibility", reported The Star.
"After four attempts to hoist it out from the water, the knot attaching the rope to the vehicle's wheels broke," Marine Police Region 1 commander ACP Rosman Ismail told reporters at the Marine Police base in Batu Uban.
The operation has reportedly resumed at 9am today, 22 January.
Image via Opalyn Mok/Malay Mail
The SUV was driven by 20-year-old college student Moey Yun Peng
According to police and Moey's family members, the drivers of both vehicles were childhood friends.
Moey's sister-in-law told New Straits Times yesterday that the boys were "normal friends [who] rarely spent time together."
However, it is uncertain how they were involved in the accident together, she claimed.
Image via Facebook
Seberang Perai Tengah district police chief Nik Ros Azhan revealed that the two boys were on their way home after attending their friend's birthday party at a club on Chulia Street.
Meanwhile, the Toyota Vios driver, who is currently recovering in hospital, has tested positive for cannabis
Blood samples have been taken to determine if he was under the influence of alcohol at the time, New Straits Times reported.
The 21-year-old driver, who is a hairstylist, is being treated for his injuries at a private hospital.
Free Malaysia Today reported that police are also investigating if the two drivers had been racing on the road before the accident took place.
A video of the accident was recorded on a dashcam:
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