3 tyres found buried at site of lightning arrestor incident

A search and rescue team found three tyres including a spare one during a digging operation to search for victims believed to have been buried at the site of the collapsed lightning arrestor pole in Jalan Macalister, here, today.

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they managed to extricate the three tyres while another tyre was not found, believed to be still buried in the mud.

"The team has taken over the search and rescue operation after the steel sheet pile installation to prevent water (from damaged underground pipes) from flowing into the gaping hole (caused by the fallen pole) was completed this afternoon.

"The search for the buried car and victim is ongoing," he told reporters at the scene.

Until this afternoon, the team found some car parts such as tyres, engine and front body part of a Honda City car owned by the victim.

Yesterday, Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi confirmed that the car's chassis number found under the rubble at the scene matched that of food hawker Lim Chin Aik's car.

He said the discovery could unravel the case of a 44-year-old man who was reported missing since the incident, which occurred on Thursday.

The victim who drove a grey Honda City had gone to pick up his youngest daughter from the Penang Chinese Girl's High School in Jalan Gottlieb at about 6.30pm on Thursday.