‘It veered off 90 degrees into the ravine’: Singaporean who survived Penang van crash recounts experience

It was through a stroke of luck that the incident did not have a worse outcome, retired SCDF officer Mr Poh said.

“If not for the durian tree that blocked the fall, the outcome would have been worse – we couldn’t have reached the victims,” he said. 

WEEK-LONG HOLIDAY

Mdm Lee and her party, aged between 55 and 69, had been travelling for a week from Ipoh to Penang. At the tail-end of their road trip, they decided to have dinner at a hilltop restaurant in Balik Pulau, which is known for its scenic view of the island known locally as “Little Genting”. 

They then used the van service provided by the eatery, Bukit Genting Leisure Park Restaurant, which ferried them up the hill, then back down where their tour bus awaited.

Described by her friends as kind and generous, Mdm Lee’s passing has left a painful void.

Mr Koh said: “She was a nice person. She bought pomelos, seven of them. She opened and gave them to anyone who wanted to eat it.”

As of Tuesday, two Singaporean women were still warded in a hospital in Penang with broken bones. One of them sustained multiple fractures. On Wednesday, her family was making arrangements for her to be flown home as soon as possible for treatment.

The other woman fractured both arms and injured her lungs and is currently intubated but is said to be in stable condition. While the rest of the Singaporean tourists have returned home, Mr Poh and two other Singaporeans decided to stay behind to assist the hospitalised victims.