84-year-old injured as crane overturns onto care home dormitory
GEORGE TOWN: An 84-year-old resident sustained a head injury after a crane overturned and crushed the roof of a dormitory at Pusat Jagaan Rumah Sejahtera Permatang Tinggi in Bukit Mertajam today.
TheSun confirmed with the care home’s management that the incident occurred at its premises.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations John Sagun Francis said the crane was believed to have overturned after losing stability while parked on uneven ground.
“The incident is believed to have occurred when the crane was parked on uneven ground, causing it to lose stability and overturn onto the building,” he said in a report today.
The injured resident, identified as Chin Ah Leak, also known as Tan Seow Kheng, was taken to hospital by Health Ministry personnel before firefighters arrived at the scene.
A total of 49 people, comprising residents and workers, were reported to have been at the premises when the incident occurred.
“Twenty men, 17 women and 11 workers, including the crane driver, were at the premises,” he said.
The fire department reported that all occupants were safe except for the injured resident.
The Bukit Mertajam Fire and Rescue Station received an emergency call through the NG999 system at 12.38pm and dispatched five personnel in a light fire and rescue vehicle.
The team arrived at 1.02pm after travelling about 10km from the station. The operations commander reported traffic congestion along the way.
Firefighters monitored the area to ensure it was safe and erected barriers to control public movement and prevent people from entering the restricted area.
Police and Health Ministry personnel were also involved in the response.
The operation was brought under control at 1.15pm and concluded at 1.45pm.
