Four escape car fire after accident on Penang Bridge

GEORGE TOWN: A road accident on KM3 of the Penang Bridge resulted in a Perodua Axia bursting into flames at about 1.08am on Thursday (Feb 23).

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the car sustained 90% damage from the burns and four victims, a male and three women, were rescued by passers-by before rescuers arrived at the scene.

They sustained light injuries and were later taken away to seek medical treatment.

Firemen managed to extinguish the flames at about 1.39am.

The incident left all three lanes from the mainland towards the island to be blocked by the burning wreckage while traffic came to a crawl on the other side, until the fire was extinguished and wreckage moved aside.

In another incident, a woman in her 50's suffered 60% burns on her body after a gas leak led to an explosion at her flat unit in Taman Sri Bayu in Bayan Lepas at about 9.18am.

Firemen who arrived at the scene found the woman already rescued by neighbours and she was later taken to the hospital in an ambulance.