Villagers helping themselves to ‘free fish’ spilled from the overturned lorry at Ranau-Tamparuli Road yesterday.
RANAU: It was a ‘seafood bonanza’ for the villagers near here when some 3,000 kilograms of ‘ikan basung’ spilled onto the road after the lorry transporting it overturned at kilometre 30.9 of Ranau-Tamparuli Road, near Kampung Kuang Lapai, early yesterday morning.
In the 4.25 am incident, which went viral on the social media, a six-ton lorry reportedly overturned when the driver lost control of the wheel while negotiating a bend.
The lorry was said to be transporting four containers containing 800 kilograms of fish each.
Several villagers who were on their way to a nearby farm took the opportunity to help themselves to the spilled fish that were scattered on the road.
Tuaran police chief DSP Abdul Fuad Abdul Malek said the 53-year-old lorry driver escaped with only a minor injury in the mishap.
“Investigation revealed that the lorry was heading to QL Marine Tuaran from Lahad Datu when the lorry driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle at a bend while going downhill. As a result, the lorry landed on its side and in the process spilled the container load of fish onto the road,” he said yesterday.
Abdul Fuad said a section of the road was closed for two hours as work was being carried out to recover the spilled fish.
The case would be investigated under Section 43 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.