Search and rescue operation at Jalan Macalister ended

The search and rescue operations for victims feared to have been buried by debris after a lightning arrester pole collapsed during heavy rain in Jalan Macalister last Thursday was stopped at 8am this morning.

Operations Head Datuk Lim Kok Khong said the operations to dig the area around the eight-metre deep hole had been stopped as it was feared the operation would affect the structure of the heritage buildings around the area.

He said the search operations would be stopped completely and would not be resumed, while the road at the affected area would be repaired for public use.

"Work to refill the damaged road would take three days.

"The soil in the area is soft and muddy, as such it is easily eroded," he told reporters at a media conference held after visiting the area.

Yesterday, the five-metre deep hole was dug by another three metres using four excavators to locate a hawker, Lim Chin Aik, 44, who was feared to have been buried in the area.

Kok Hong, who was a former chairman of the Penang chapter of the Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), said currently his men were carrying out work to stabilise the soil structure in the area surrounding the hole to prevent a further erosion.

"After work to stabilise the soil had been completed, other agencies such as the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP), Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), and the telecommunication company would carry out their respective tasks to repair all infrastructural facilities," he said.

In the incident on Thursday, a man died after a lightning arrester pole on top of Menara Umno fell on his car during a storm.

A day later, Lee Chai Song had made a report that her husband had been missing and was feared to be the victim in the incident.

Subsequently, the authorities initiated the search and rescue operation for Chin Aik and on Saturday, Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi confirmed that the chasis number of the car found in the debris at Jalan Macalister matched that of the car owned by rice hawker, Chin Aik.

Late yesterday afternoon, the search and rescue team found three tyres including the spare tyre.

Chin Aik was said to be driving a gray Honda City car to fetch his youngest daughter from the Penang Chinese Girl's High School at Jalan Gottlieb at about 6.30pm last Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng asked the owner of the Menara Umno building to remove the remnants of the lightning arrester pole that were hanging on the building as soon as possible.

This was to ensure safety of the people because the road would be reopened to traffic in the near future, he told reporters when visiting the location today.