Driver drowns as lorry swept away in river torrent

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TAWAU: A 31-year-old man drowned after a three-ton lorry he was driving was swept away by a torrent while crossing a shallow part of Tiku River in Sin On Tiku Road here yesterday.

District police chief ACP Awang Besar Dullah said Lee Vun Mean, who worked for an oil palm plantation company, was transporting oil palm fruits to a mill when the incident happened about 11.30am.

The lorry was found about 30 meters from the scene while the body of the victim who was believed to have tried to get out of the lorry, was recovered by Fire and Rescue Department personnel some 300 meters away about 5.30pm the same day.

Awang Besar said investigation revealed that the shallow section of the river was always used by plantation workers to transport oil palm fruits to the mill.

He said it was believed that heavy rain in the upper reaches of the river had caused the water level to rise and the lorry to be swept away in a torrent.

He said the case was still under investigation and had been classified as sudden death.