A thunderstorm blew havoc in Penang, 2 person killed
Astro Awani
Jun 13, 2013 22:18 MYT
Jun 13, 2013 22:18 MYT
An evening storm wreaked havoc in Penang yesterday causing the communications tower atop the Umno building in Jalan Macalister here to collapse, leaving two person dead and eight others injured.
Jahir Hussain Sulaiman, 46, the driver of a pick up truck who was seriously injured in the incident later died at the Penang Hospital.
The telecommunication antenna fell and crashed down at 7pm on Thursday.
Another victim was killed by a tree which fell on him near Air Itam Dam here during the heavy thunderstorm that wreaked havoc in most parts of Penang.
The 33-year-old man, believed to be a farmer, was jogging in the area when the incident happened at 6.50pm.
According to Penang Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) deputy director Mohamad Shoki Hamzah, the incident was a result of a heavy storm.
“The antenna suddenly was blown off the building and crashed onto seven cars including the lorry nearby the building. At the time, the lorry driver was arranging some gas cylinders,” he said.
He added the driver was then trapped in his vehicle as a result of the incident.
“Six firefighters from the Lebuh Pantai fire department received the call at 6.56pm and rushed to the scene. The firefighters managed to rescue the trapped victim two minutes upon arriving at the scene,” he said.
The victim is believed to be about 40 years old and sustained severe injuries on his body and head. He was rushed to the Penang Hospital immediately.
A fire hydrant pipe also burst because of the crash and the area was covered with water.
“This had caused bad traffic and for safety reasons, we had to close the road for further inspection of the building,” he said.