‘Driver lost control,’ says Singaporean man who survived accident on Penang hill

A van’s faulty engine and its driver losing control resulted in the vehicle veering off a narrow hill path into a gorge, said a man who survived the accident in Penang on Sunday that killed a Singaporean woman.

The survivor, Mr Koh Soon Heng, was among 29 tourists from Singapore who were making their way down the hill after having dinner at the Bukit Genting Hill Leisure Park and Restaurant.

The group had to take separate vans to descend the hill because the path was too narrow for the larger bus they had used earlier to reach the hill.

“The van’s engine died after travelling a short distance,” said Mr Koh, who was seated in the row behind the driver who was trying to manoeuvre the vehicle down Bukit Genting.

Mr Koh said the driver attempted to restart the vehicle before it stalled again. The van was carrying 10 passengers, all of whom were tourists.

“But he didn’t stop. The van was going very fast... We shouted at him but he still stepped on the accelerator going down the slope,” Mr Koh said. The 62-year-old was speaking to reporters at his hotel on Tuesday, before a group of his travel mates were scheduled to return to Singapore.

He said he realised the driver had lost control of the vehicle when he shouted out loud. Mr Koh grabbed on to the back of a seat while warning the other passengers to “hold on” in Hokkien.

In a matter of seconds, the van drove off the path and plunged into a ravine more than 6m deep.

Mr Koh found himself stuck under a seat with a number of other people who had fallen on top of one another. His hand was bloody with scratches.

He managed to climb out through the van’s window, before helping out his wife who was entangled in some cables.

Fire department officials from Penang said they arrived at the scene at around 8.20pm and took around three hours to complete the rescue operation.

One woman was found unconscious and confirmed dead at the scene. Local police identified her as a 62-year-old Singaporean, Ms Lee Kwee Yiam.

The other nine passengers – eight Singaporeans and one Malaysian – were taken to hospital for treatment.

The Malaysian driver, 61, was seriously injured. He was still in hospital as at Tuesday evening, along with two other Singaporean women in their late 50s, Penang tourism and creative economy chairman Wong Hon Wai told The Straits Times.

Mr Wong said he has been in touch with the hospitals and the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, adding that assistance has been given to the victims’ family members who rushed to Penang after the accident.

Seven of the 10 van passengers returned to Singapore on Tuesday.

The tourists had been on the road for a number of days with getai singer couple Xie Wen and Li Bao En, which included a visit to the couple’s hometown Parit Buntar in Perak, before the accident in Penang on Sunday.

The couple said they would be assisting the tourists who are still in hospital and make transport arrangements for them to Singapore.

Malaysia’s south-west police chief superintendent Kamarul Rizal Jenal said the van’s fall was caused by the driver not being able to brake in time after restarting the stalled engine.

Police investigations are ongoing under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 with suspicions of reckless or dangerous driving resulting in death.

Ms Li was in the second van following the first that met with the accident. She said they had started descending the hill before it turned dark, and added that it had not been raining. Ms Lee’s death, she said, was like losing a kin to her.

Mr Koh also expressed regret at the death of Ms Lee. He said she was kind and had bought pomelo for the group during the trip.

“This is my first time to Penang,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t think I will dare to return.”