Penang Bridge crash: Operation to retrieve SUV postponed, body spotted in vehicle (updated)

Rescuers attempts to hoist the SUV had to be postponed due to unfavourable conditions on Jan 21, 2019.

BUTTERWORTH: The operation to retrieve a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that plunged into the sea from the Penang Bridge has been postponed.

Marine Police Region 1 commander ACP Rosman Ismail said that a body was spotted inside the vehicle but they have yet to confirm the identity of the victim.

He said that the operation was postponed at 7.20pm Monday (Jan 21) for safety reasons.

ACP Rosman said divers have so far managed to secure the car in the water but have yet to hoist it up.

"Strong water currents and poor visibility due to murky water make the task difficult.

"After four attempts to hoist it out from the water, the knot attaching the rope to the vehicle's wheels broke," he told reporters at the Marine Police base in Batu Uban here.

He said the operation will resume at 9am on Tuesday (Jan 22).

The wreckage was submerged at a depth of 15m, about 15m away from where it crashed through the barrier on Sunday.

The driver of the vehicle has been identified as college student Moey Yun Peng, 20.

The SUV plunged into the sea after a collision with a black car at 2.54am on Sunday (Jan 20).