Fire and Rescue Department has confirmed that one body has been spotted after part of the under-construction Second Penang Bridge collapsed early this evening.
According to assistant commissioner Mohamad Shoki Hamzah, as at 12.30am, the search and rescue team has sighted the body through the use of a search camera.
"We pushed in a searchcam through the crevaces and we saw a body," he told Astro AWANI.
Mohamad Shoki said that he estimates the extraction of the body to take at least two hours.
On initial reports about four feared dead or three injured, Mohamad Shoki said that the rumours were inaccurate at this moment.
In the incident at about 7.15pm, a concrete slab, of about 30 metres and weighing more than 1,000 tonnes, crashed down to the ground near Batu Maung.
Confirmed burried under the rubble was a Perodua Kelisa but it is not known the number of people trapped within the debris.
It was understood that two victims in a Perodua Myvi managed to survive a near miss. The two girls earlier told Astro AWANI that they were three seconds away from being burried under the rubble as well.
One of the girls was injured after a metal debris flew into the car and hit her leg.
The exact cause of the incident, which only involves the part of the bridge over land, is yet to be established.
A 'crane' is being used to lift parts of the debris in the search and rescue effort. Earlier, several fire bridgade trucks were rushed to the scene at about 7pm.
It is understood that work on this package of the bridge has stopped momentarily, but construction on the remaining of the packages is not thought to be affected.
Bayan Baru Member of Parliament, Sim Tze Tzin who happened to be at the location told through his Twitter account that the structure had collapsed.
He said at least one or two cars were ruined as a result from the collapse.
Sim also said the Fire and Rescue Department is beginning their search and rescue procedure.
The bridge, which connects Batu Kawan on the mainland to Batu Maung on the island, is expected to be completed September this year.
The RM4.5 billion bridge, a project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, will also provide easier access to the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.
The construction of the second bridge commenced on Nov 8, 2008. It comprises 16.8 km of bridge structure above the sea and 6.8km on land.
Haider Yutim
Thu Jun 06 2013
Banjir di Kedah semakin memburuk, bilangan mangsa cecah 1,018 orang
Situasi banjir di Kedah makin memburuk selepas bilangan mangsa mencecah 1,018 orang daripada 268 keluarga yang ditempatkan di 11 pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) di negeri ini.
PM mahu persediaan mantap dilakukan menjelang kepengerusian ASEAN 2025
Perdana Menteri berkata Malaysia perlu menjadi peneraju hebat dengan menyusun pelbagai program yang benar-benar memberi kesan mendalam kepada komuniti ASEAN secara keseluruhannya.
PM Anwar ulangi komitmen Malaysia jayakan Agenda 2030 untuk pembangunan mampan
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini mengulangi komitmen Malaysia dalam menjayakan Agenda 2030 untuk pembangunan mampan seperti yang dimeterai bersama 192 negara lain pada 2015.
Bunuh: Dua buruh kasar terlepas hukuman mati, diganti penjara 30 tahun
Panel hakim menolak rayuan A.Rames dan Tew Siew Kem untuk mengetepikan sabitan terhadap mereka dan menggantikan hukuman mati dengan penjara.
HUMS dijangka siap Dis 2025, beroperasi pada Jan 2026 - Zambry
HUSM dibina dengan kapasiti 400 katil, 25 bilik pembedahan, 40 katil rawatan intensif atau rapi serta 145 buah klinik pakar.
Tiga wanita ditahan dalam Op Global sambung reman hingga 22 Sept
Tiga wanita yang ditahan menerusi Op Global di Nilai dan Seremban kerana disyaki terbabit dalam kes eksploitasi kanak-kanak di negeri ini, disambung reman hingga 22 Sept.
Arul Kanda tidak tahu tentang kewujudan 'pelaburan' 1MDB - Tony Pua
Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini diberitahu Arul Kanda Kandasamy tidak pasti tentang nilai 'pelaburan' 1MDB atau sama ada ia benar-benar wujud.
Seorang ahli GISB akan dituduh di Mahkamah Majistret Putrajaya esok
Individu terbabit akan didakwa di bawah Seksyen 506 Kanun Keseksaan.
Polis jalankan siasatan video upacara keagamaan
Polis Pulau Pinang menjalankan siasatan berhubung video tular di media sosial yang memaparkan satu upacara keagamaan di sebuah tokong di negeri ini yang berlatar belakangkan runut bunyi selawat.
Tetingkap Tunggal Nasional mudahkan operasi perdagangan - Tengku Zafrul
Inisiatif Tetingkap Tunggal Nasional (National Single Window) yang bakal diharmonikan bersama sistem kastam China akan memudahkan operasi perniagaan dan perdagangan antara Malaysia-China.