IPOH: Police have opened an investigation paper into the death of a three-year-old boy who fell through a hole on the Victoria Bridge in Enggor, Kuala Kangsar.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the investigation was being conducted under Section 31(1) of the Child Act, as well as under a sudden death report (SDR).
“We are still investigating the case. Based on the information gathered so far, the boy fell after he stepped into a hole while walking across the bridge.
“There were no elements of negligence at this stage,” he said at a press conference at the Sungai Siput police headquarters on Wednesday (Sept 2).
He added that police are awaiting the post-mortem report.
Meanwhile, Perak Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Sandrea Ng said the Victoria Bridge had been closed to visitors as an immediate safety measure following the incident.
She said the closure, however, did not cover the entire bridge, with the stone structure remaining open to the public.
“Following the incident, the Kuala Kangsar District Council (MPKK) has taken immediate action to close access to the steel structure of the Victoria Bridge to visitors from today as a safety measure.
“However, this closure does not involve the entire Victoria Bridge. The surrounding area and stone structure remain open and can still be visited by the public,” she said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 1).
Ng said that the closure of the steel section was temporary and would remain in place until worn and rotten track timbers (kayu landasan) were replaced, additional safety measures implemented and the site deemed safe for reopening.
Based on information from MPKK, she said monitoring of the bridge had been carried out periodically, with the latest physical inspection conducted on June 30 this year.
“Prior to the incident, an allocation had also been applied for maintenance works, including the replacement of about 60 worn-out track timbers.
“As an immediate measure, MPKK is now seeking about RM50,000 in allocation to install a safety net beneath the bridge while awaiting funding for other repair works,” she said.
Ng said that the bridge is an asset owned by the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC), while MPKK also assisted with maintenance of the surrounding area as the bridge was one of the district’s tourism and heritage attractions.
“Following this incident, the overall safety of the site will also be reviewed with the relevant parties to determine the necessary improvement measures,” she said.
It was previously reported that the three-year-old boy died after falling through a hole on the Victoria Bridge at about 6.30pm on Monday (Aug 31) and was pronounced dead at 7.40pm.
The boy was walking across the bridge while holding his 41-year-old father’s hand when he fell through the hole.
