Fire and Rescue personnel and Civil Defence Department personnel carrying one of the injured victims out of the ravine.
Simson Marusan
PENAMPANG: A local man killed while six of his family members suffered serious injuries after the Toyota Prado four-wheel-drive vehicle they were traveling in plunged into a ravine at Km 32 Moyog Road here early yesterday morning.
The deceased, identified as Simson Marusan, 36, succumbed to his injury and died at the scene while Mangu Sarajat, 73, Chang Fui Khung, 36, Alaxius Mantasim, 32, and Mojiho Saraja, 55, sustained serious injuries.
The driver of the Prado, Faizal Mokhtar, 24, and another passenger Anson Dahagan, 39, only sustained minor injuries.
All the injured victims are being treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
District police chief DSP Ratan Kumar Singh yesterday said police investigation revealed that the Toyota Prado was heading back to Penampang from Keningau when the vehicle skidded on the road and plunged into a ravine, about 200 meters deep, around 12.30am on Monday.
“Based on initial police investigation it is believed the incident was caused by a break failure as the vehicle was going downhill.
“The driver lost control of the vehicle which skidded on the road before plunging into a 200-meter ravine.
“One of the passengers was killed instantly while six others, including the driver, sustained injuries,” he said.
Ratan said Simson’s body had been taken to the QEH for a post-mortem while those injured were being treated at the same hospital and in stable condition.
Ratan said the case would be investigated under the Road Transport Act 1987.
Meanwhile, Penampang Fire and Rescue Department chief Jamaludin Hussin said a distress call was received at 12.51am and two fire engines with 13 personnel were immediately sent to the scene.
“Some of the victims managed to walk out of the vehicle by themselves while others were pinned at their seats.
“One of the victims was killed at the scene and it took Fire and Rescue personnel a couple of hours to free his body,” he said, adding that it took Fire and Rescue personnel some six hours to free all the trapped victims.
All the injured victims were taken to hospital in ambulance and the whole operation ended at 6.20am, said Jamaludin.