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NEW! Clearer PDRM CCTV Footage Before Penang UMNO Building Incident
Camera Footage of Penang UMNO Building Incident
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VIDEO/PICS] Storm In Penang: Missing Hawker Laid To Restsays.com
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Yahoo
Coroner rules rice seller’s death in lightning arrestor collapse a misadventure
A coroner’s court in Penang today returned a verdict of misadventure in the inquest to determine the cause of death of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik, who was driving on Jalan Macalister when the Menara Umno lightning arrestor fell on his car.
Coroner Khairul Anuar Abdul Halim, in his decision, said Lim, 44, died between 6.45pm and 6.50pm on June 13 from a misadventure caused by the structure collapsing along with a concrete mast from the 21-storey building.
He said it was an unprecedented case where no body was found.
“There is also no earlier case that the court could refer to but we are satisfied with the evidence presented that the identity of the driver of the wrecked car was Lim Chin Aik.
“In all probability Lim was the driver. Evidence showed that he had driven the same car to pick up his daughter and Jalan Macalister is the usual route he used to reach her school on Jalan Gottlieb,” he said.
Khairul said a death certificate can now be issued by the National Registration Department to Lim’s family.
Lim’s widow Lee Chai Song, 48, who was accompanied by several family members, wept when the decision was passed.
She said she was thankful that her family can finally get closure.
The family had been waiting since June to get Lim’s death certificate.
Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo held a watching brief for the family.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/coroner-rules-rice-seller-death-lightning-arrestor-mishap-043403152.html
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Malay Mail
Man missing in Umno building crash was on school run, inquest told
“He didn’t pick up our daughter at all that day,” she said before breaking off into sobs.
After a few minutes, she composed herself and said that her daughter had called her at about 7.15pm on that day to say that Lim still had not picked her up.
“I still didn’t suspect anything had happened to him so I told my daughter to wait a while more as he may have been caught in a traffic jam,” she said.
Lee was testifying in an inquest to ascertain the death of her husband who was believed to be buried in Macalister Road after his car was hit by a falling concrete beam during a freak storm on June 13.
In the storm, the lightning arrester of Umno building along the road crashed to the road below, burying Lim’s car underneath and damaging seven other vehicles.
Efforts to recover his body were called off after four days of digging due to concerns that further digging could affect the surrounding buildings so Lim’s body was never recovered.
Only parts of his Honda City were recovered from the crater and the chassis number was matched to that of Lim’s.
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The five-day inquest continues in the afternoon and a total 31 witnesses will be called in to testify before coroner Khairul Anuar Abd Halim.
Gobind Singh Deo is holding a watching brief on behalf of Lim’s family.
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George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said the inquest would be scheduled from Sept 2 to 6 at the Sessions Court 1 here.
Star
Thursday August 1, 2013 MYT 2:18:06 PM
Penang freak storm: A-G to hold inquest into Lim’s death
Rescue personnel trying to retrieve Lim’s car soon after the incident in Jalan Macalister
GEORGE TOWN: The Attorney-General’s Chamber has agreed to hold an inquest into the death of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik, believed to be buried in Jalan Macalister following a freak storm on June 13.
Lim, 44, was believed to be driving in front of Menara Umno during the storm when a concrete structure fell and crashed into his car burying them some 40m deep into the ground.
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Star
Wednesday June 26, 2013
Move to speed up process to issue death cert for hawker
KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry and Attorney-General’s Chambers have agreed to speed up the process of issuing the death certificate for Lim Chin Aik who was believed killed in the recent freak storm in Penang.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that he met with Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail on the matter.
“We have approached them and they are willing to help in the matter,” he told reporters after attending the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s royal address yesterday.
Lim said the state will assist the victim’s family for an inquest by the magistrate’s court as soon as possible so that a declaration of death can be made.
He said an inquest of such a nature would usually take three months.
Move to speed up process to issue death cert for hawker
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Malaysiakini
The Penang police have completed the investigation papers on the inquest to determine the death of rice seller Lim Chin Aik, who was believed buried under the falling lightning arrestor pole in a
freak storm at Jalan Macalister in George Town.
State police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the papers had been sent to the Public Prosecutors’ Office last June 20, but returned to the police for verification of some facts.
“The police will hand back the papers to the Public Prosecutor’s Office soon for further action,” he told a media conference in George Town today.
The police requested an inquest into Lim’s death to enable the National Registration Department to issue the death certificate to his family and facilitate insurance claims by family members.
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Malaysiakini
The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) has transferred a technician in charge of its CCTV operations for failing to inform his superiors that a car was under the debris caused by a lightning rod falling off Menara Umno during the June 13 freak storm.
The technician, based at the CCTV operations and control centre, was transferred with effect from today, pending further investigations by the MPPP.
MPPP secretary Ang Aing Thye said preliminary investigations showed that two recordings had been made along Jalan Macalister – one at Jalan Anson/Jalan Penang, and the other at a corner of Jalan Zainal Abidin, in front of Menara Umno.
The car, parts of which were recovered on the morning of June 15, is believed to belong to hawker Lim Chin Aik, 44, who went missing in the storm and is presumed dead.
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At a press conference today, a very cautious Ang (right) – accompanied by state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow – said: “I am not blaming anyone, I am just reporting the facts.”
Ang said the technician had viewed the footage on June 14 but had only reported strong winds at 6.45pm and a traffic jam.
“For the recording in front of Menara Umno, the technician said he saw strong winds and a spark of fire at 6.34pm.
“On June 15, at 11.30am, an MPPP representative, a contractor and the technician saw the difference in the time of the two recordings.
“The contractor suspected something (was wrong) and requested to view the (footage recorded) in front of Menara Umno. After a further probe with MPPP, we found that (some) concrete had fallen.”
Ang said the two cameras are maintained by different contractors under the MPPP. One of them then contacted the police with a request to check the recording.
“However, the police told him that there was a big possibility that no car was buried there. He was not happy with the police and met them to get clarification,” said Ang.
“This time, the contractor, the police and MPPP viewed the recording again and still the police officer said he was not sure that a car was buried under the concrete.
“So the contractor returned to the MPPP control centre and viewed the CCTV several times, and saw a car (under) the concrete.”
Findings ‘for committee to consider’
Ang said that after the police response to the findings, the Fire and Rescue Services Department had been called in to view the footage.
The fire and rescue officer, who arrived about 1pm on June 15, also did not make any comment, noted Ang, but asked for a copy of the footage. The request was rejected.
“As far as our report is concerned, all sides suspected something,” he said.
MPPP transfers technician for ‘boo-boo’ after freak storm
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Star
Monday June 24, 2013
Hawker’s father refutes crab story behind tragedy
By KOW KWAN YEE
kowky@thestar.com.my
GEORGE TOWN: The father of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik has refuted a report that his son had killed a crab a day before he was crushed to death by a lightning arrester that fell from a building in Jalan Macalister on June 13.
Lim Tian Chor, 73, said his son didn’t kill the crab but had placed it in a pail filled with water instead.
“The crab was found dead in the pail a few days after Chin Aik went missing,” explained Tian Chor.
He said the crab was found in front of a ‘Datuk Kong’ (chief spirit) shrine in Lim Jetty, Weld Quay.
“This baseless report has only deepened our grief after losing Chin Aik. I hope the newspapers would stop writing this kind of rumours,” he said.
Last Thursday, a Chinese daily had reported that Chin Aik’s son had fished out a live crab near their house in Lim Jetty.
The newspaper quoted some neighbours as saying that the crab escaped but Chin Aik managed to capture it in front of the shrine located near the entrance of Lim Jetty.
It was also reported that Chin Aik then bought a 4D number 1000 which clinched first prize and RM300,000.
According to the Tua Pek Kong 4D book used by punters, the number 000 represents seafood.
It was reported that the winning combination of 1000 came from adding the prefix 1 to mark the one crab that was recaptured.
Asked if Chin Aik had really struck the first prize as widely speculated, Tian Chor shook his head without answering.
Hawker’s father refutes crab story behind tragedy
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Sundaily
Last rites for Chin Aik
Family members and relatives burn joss paper in a simple funeral ceremony at Lim Jetty. SUNPIX by EDMUND LEE
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Star
Sunday June 23, 2013 MYT 1:36:00 PM
Penang freak storm: Lim Chin Aik laid to rest
By WINNIE YEOH
GEORGE TOWN: The family members of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik, 44, completed a simple funeral ceremony for him on Sunday.
Some 50 family, relatives and friends gathered at the Lim jetty in Weld Quay where the wake was held for three days before they headed to the Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam.
His wife, Lee Chai Song, 48, placed the urn that contained a pile of mud she scooped from the wreckage of what is believed to be Lim’s car into the columbarium while a monk recited prayers.
On June 14, it is believed that Lim was driving along Macalister Road when the lightning arrestor fell from the 21-storey Menara Umno in a freak storm and smashed right onto his car.
Penang freak storm: Lim Chin Aik laid to rest – Nation | The Star Online
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Star
Sunday June 23, 2013
Penang temple agrees to house storm victim’s urn
By WINNIE YEOH, KOW KWAN YEE and HAN KAR KAY newsdesk@thestar.com.my
GEORGE TOWN: The Kek Lok Si Temple has agreed to allow the late Lim Chin Aik’s urn to be placed on its premises in Air Itam.
Chin Aik’s wife Lee Chai Song had filled the urn with mud scooped from the wrecked car parts found at the crater in Jalan Macalister.
Lim is believed dead and his body buried at least 40m or 13 storeys underground after his car was hit by a lightning arrestor that snapped and fell off the 21-storey Menara Umno during a freak storm on June 13.
Penang temple agrees to house storm victim’s urn
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Star
Saturday June 22, 2013
The public pay their last respects to storm victim
By KOW KWAN YEE
kowky@thestar.com.my
SEVERAL people along Jalan Macalister, Penang, were seen squatting by the roadside and burning joss sticks to pay their last respects to economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik, who is believed to be buried 40m deep in the ground during the freak windstorm last week.
Paraphernalia including joss sticks and candles were seen on the road-side opposite Menara Umno, and some pedestrians, who walked past the stretch, stopped and prayed.
Durian seller Khor Hun Hin, 56, who had provided the paraphernalia for free, said many people came to pay their last respects after the road was reopened to traffic on Thursday.
Lim was among three persons killed by falling debris and tree trunks when the island and parts of the mainland were hit by the windstorm, which lasted some 45 minutes.
“The tragedy happened in front of my durian stall. I saw many pedestrians stopped by to recite or perform prayers for a few seconds,” said Khor when met at his stall at the junction of Jalan Macalister-Jalan Kek Chuan.
“So I bought about 200 joss sticks and 50 red candles and put them in front of the stall,” he said.
So tragic: Khor offering prayers to Lim along Jalan Macalister. The public pay their last respects to storm victim
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Star
Saturday June 22, 2013
Funeral wake being held without death certificate at family home in Lim Jetty
By CHRISTINA CHIN, KOW KWAN YEE, CHRISTOPHER TAN and OH CHIN ENG
north@thestar.com.my
GEORGE TOWN: Lim Chin Aik’s family members are conducting his funeral wake at their home in Lim Jetty, Weld Quay, despite not having obtained his death certificate yet.
His father Lim Tian Chor, 73, said since no remains were found, the family could only conduct Chin Aik’s funeral symbolically.
“We decided to place the mud scooped by Chin Aik’s wife Lee Chai Song, from the wrecked car parts, into the urn,” he said here yesterday.
Earlier, Chin Aik’s cousin Roy Tan told a press conference at Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s office in Komtar, that the family only managed to obtain an official letter from the police that Chin Aik’s body could not be found.
an said after meeting the National Registration Department (NRD) officials and George Town OCPD ACP Gan Kong Meng yesterday morning, the family was told to go through legal proceedings.
“But I do not know how long it will take. We are willing to go to court but we need the certificate as we want to place Chin Aik’s urn in the temple on Sunday,” he said, adding that it will be difficult for the family to make funeral arrangements without the certificate.
Guan Eng said the state government would help Chin Aik’s family obtain his death certificate.
“The family cannot wait seven years for the certificate to be issued,” he said, adding that it would take seven years for the legal presumption of death to apply before the court can issue the death certificate.
Guan Eng said Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo would look into the legal aspects and that he (Guan Eng) would meet Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi next week.
Funeral wake being held without death certificate at family home in Lim Jetty
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ZAHID MADE A PROMISE HE CAN’T KEEP!
During a press conference at the accident site on Jalan Macalister, Zahid had said that once the police send him the probe report, he will direct the NRD to issue the family a death certificate but now the National Registration Department (NRD) is unable to issue a death certificate.
Anthony H S Law Presumption of death is after 7 years. It is not possible to issue the death certificate. This is the law!
Anthony H S Law Only the court can rule on the presumption of death and not Zahid or the police.—
Malaysiakini
The family of Lim Chin Aik is disappointed that the National Registration Department (NRD) is unable to issue a death certificate for him.
Roy Tan, Chin Aik’s family spokesperson, said he was told this by the NRD officials whom he met at their office on Jalan Anson with Northeast District Police chief ACP Gan Kong Meng this morning.
“We are disappointed because on Monday, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said we would be issued the certificate after police have conducted their investigation,” said Tan when met at the Chief Minister’s Office in Komtar.
“We took his words for it. Now the NRD and police tell us we still have to go through legal proceedings, I am not sure how long it would take,” he lamented.
“We need the certificate so that the family can move forward. We also have to conduct funeral rites for Chin Aik, we should have done it in seven days, today is already the ninth day,” he stressed.
“We need the documents as we also have to put the urn in a lot in a collaborium in the temple,” he further said.
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Still no answer about inquest
Meanwhile, Tan said he had asked the police about the inquest but no answer was forthcoming.
“We know they tried their best, the police also said sorry. But Zahid gave us the impression that it can be done,” Tan said.
“We are still grieving over Chin Aik’s death but we still have to go through this,” he added sadly.
“There are many issues to settle, his house and car loans, and what about his children, they also need a closure,” he stressed.
Legally, it would take seven years to presume a missing person dead.
Tan said, “We do not know what would happen if we have to wait that long.”
The family, however, will conduct funeral prayers at the Lim Jetty along Weld Quay starting tonight and will send Chin Aik off on Sunday.
Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, who was present during the meeting, offered his legal services to the family, saying “Do not worry about the cost.”
Tan responded positively to the offer, while Gobind requested for a formal acceptance letter.
In the same meeting, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he would speak to Zahid about the matter.
“The CCTV recording showed clearly that someone was driving the car, and the chassis discovered matched that of Chin Aik’s car. There was also only one missing person report lodged by Chin Aik’s family,” he said.
Kin disappointed with Zahid, no death cert issued
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NST
20 June 2013| last updated at 12:16AM
Family members hold seventh-day prayers
GEORGE TOWN: Mass prayers were held near Menara Umno to appease the soul of the missing and presumed dead hawker Lim Chin Aik.
The prayers marked the seventh day since last Thursday when Chin Aik was believed to have been crushed to death by a lightning arrestor that fell off from the rooftop.
Condolences were also extended to two other people who were killed in the freak storm.
A minute’s silence was observed prior to the chanting, held under a makeshift canopy near the Penang Museum and Art Gallery in Jalan Macalister. The hour-long chanting started at 6.30pm.
Scores of well-wishers and relatives attended the prayers, organised by the Penang KaDhamPa Buddhist Association.
Chin Aik’s wife, Lee Chai Song, 48, was seen weeping and had to pause several times during the chanting.
Present were Chin Aik’s mother, Ang Kim Looi, 70, father, Lim Tian Chor, 73, sons, Chia Yiang, 20, Chia Oon, 18 and daughter, Hui Jiune, 13.
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Lim Chin Aik’s family members holding prayers near the Penang Museum and Art Gallery in Jalan Macalister yesterday.Read more: Family members hold seventh-day prayers – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/family-members-hold-seventh-day-prayers-1.303759#ixzz2WqKwtzqy—–
Lim Guan Eng said he was informed by Penang CPO Deputy Comm Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi that a death certificate would be issued for Chin Aik based on three reasons – eyewitness account, the car’s chassis number and video evidence.
Star
Thursday June 20, 2013
‘Body buried 13 storeys deep’
By KIATISAK CHUA
kiatisak@thestar.com.my
GEORGE TOWN: Former Institution of Engineers Malaysia (northern branch) chairman Lim Kok Khong says the body of Lim Chin Aik is believed to be buried at least 40m or 13 storeys underground and under a 30m-long solid mass of steel-reinforced concrete.
Kok Khong said the sheared off length of the lightning arrestor’s concrete section was 38m-long and it had directly impacted the driver’s section.
“It was so great it completely cut off the driver’s section and drove it deep into the ground,” Kok Khong said. “He would have been killed instantly.”
“Imagine a giant pencil being driven into the ground, the top quarter would have broken off, shattering the surrounding surface, while the rest was completely buried underground.
“The remainder of the car was dragged down to a depth of 8m to 9m.
“Only the upper 10m of the arrestor’s concrete section has been recovered,” he said. “The rest remains buried with the victim.”
Kok Khong said excavation works could not proceed beyond 9m due to poor soil conditions and this could affect the structural integrity of the buildings nearby.
At a press conference attended by Chin Aik’s family members, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng showed a CCTV footage of the victim’s car being hit by the falling beam.
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Star
Wednesday June 19, 2013 MYT 7:37:44 PM
Penang freak storm: Video clip of lightning arrester collapse uploaded on YouTube
GEORGE TOWN: Nearly 7,000 Facebook users have shared a short video clip containing the moments the lightning arrester pole collapsed in Jalan Macalister here during a freak storm last Thursday.
The 15-second video titled “Before accident at Umno building…PDRM CCTV” shows images of the lightning arrester falling and crashing onto the road and hitting several vehicles, including a Honda City, believed to belong to a man, Lim Chin Aik, 44.
Penang freak storm: Video clip of lightning arrester collapse uploaded on YouTube
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Gale knocks down Penang Umno HQ lightning rod: Nature’s wrath or….?
Is the UMNO Building in Penang TILTING?
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LIM CHIN AIK, VICTIM OF PENANG UMNO HQ LIGHTNING ARRESTOR, WILL LIE 14 METERS UNDERGOUND OUTSIDE THE UMNO HQ BUILDING
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JALAN MACALISTER TO BE RE-OPENED EARLY MORNING, THURSDAY 20 JUNE.
NST
A Penang Island Municipal Department engineering department spokesman said the hole patching works were almost completed.
Barring unforeseen weather conditions, he said the road would be re-opened early tomorrow morning after the workers laid three layers of sand, crushed gravels and tar to flatten the hole throughout the day.
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Star
Wednesday June 19, 2013
‘Search shouldn’t have been halted’
By OH CHIN ENG
GEORGE TOWN: A spiritual healer has stressed that the search operation for Lim Chin Aik’s body in the 7m deep crater in Jalan Macalister should not be halted.
Master Ong Q Leng, 38, said Lim’s body must be found before he could be pronounced ‘dead’.
“Whether Lim is still alive or not under such circumstances, his body must be recovered.
“He did not drown in the ocean but (could be) buried in the ground,” she said when visiting the site yesterday.
She claimed that when she went to the scene on Monday morning, her spiritual senses told her that Lim was still alive.
Lim’s body, she insisted, was not at the spot where the personnel had been digging all this while.
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“When they called off the operation on Monday morning, he was still alive and his body still ‘sui sui’ (intact).
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“He died at 12.20pm yesterday, I sensed it!”
Master Ong is believed to be Penang’s first woman ghostbuster.
She had rendered her services in ‘cleansing’ a dilapidated temple behind the abandoned Relau Villa Mansion and also helped to ‘chase’ away spirits in a house belonging to Zainab Sulaiman, 73, in Kelantan.
‘Search shouldn’t have been halted’
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NST
GEORGE TOWN: Police are unable to detect any body tissue and blood stain belonging to 44-year-old missing hawker Lim Chin Aik in its forensic investigations.
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VIEWING A VIDEO CLIP OF THE TRAGEDY
Malaysiakini
At the press conference, the family of Lim Chin Aik, was present.
A video clip of the structure falling on Honda Civic was also shown.
The 34 second CCTV footage showed a tour bus and a white vehicle passing by before the arrestor struck Chin Aik’s car.
His mother cried out at this point.
Penang to probe Menara Umno structure, bridge failure
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Tuesday June 18, 2013
Penang freak storm: Architect: force that hit Lim’s car would crush anything
Reports by OH CHIN ENG, CHRISTOPHER TAN, CAVINA LIM, KIATISAK CHUA and TAN SIN CHOW
Star
GEORGE TOWN: What kind of force shears open a road and drives a car some six metres into the ground? According to an engineering expert, the force that hit the Honda City driven by Lim Chin Aik was equal to having seven buses travelling at 130kph hitting him simultaneously.
The full capacity of each stage bus is 60 passengers and the driver.
Thirty-five-year old Singapore-based architect Clifford Tan was calculating the force of the impact on the car driven by rice seller Lim when the 38m lightning arrestor and part of the “wing wall” holding it fell from the rooftop of the 21-storey Menara Umno in Macalister Road. Tan said the debris would “pulverise anything that came into contact with it”.
The debris which spiralled downwards would have generated high velocity when plunging, he said in a telephone interview from Singapore.
It would be difficult to extricate anything which was crushed or pinned down by the sheer force of the falling debris, he added. The fate of the driver is still unknown but he is feared dead.
Tan, who posted his findings on his personal Facebook account, was referring to the freak storm which caused the lightning arrestor and its supporting concrete wing wall to come loose. The falling debris also killed one lorry assistant from India.
Tan estimated that the mass of the collapsed concrete alone was nearly 100 metric tonnes.
With the steel reinforcement, steel antenna structures, aluminium cladding and other ancillary components, the total mass of the fallen structure was probably 110-120 metric tonnes, he said.
The force of the impact, he estimated, was about 1,143,333 N (newtons) or 1,143 kN.
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“I estimated that the wing wall fell from an estimated height of 70m and would cause anything it hit to be crushed to bits,” Tan said.
Penang freak storm: Architect: force that hit Lim’s car would crush anything
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Sundaily
Police to view CCTV footage to determine Lim’s death
Last updated on 18 June 2013 – 09:05pm
GEORGE TOWN (June 18, 2013): Penang police will view the closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings in Jalan Macalister as part of the investigation to determine the death of Lim Chin Aik, who is believed to be buried in the collapse of the lightning arrestor pole in the area last Thursday.
Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said they had obtained the clear CCTV recordings of the area during the mishap.
“The CCTV was installed near the scene and the cameras had captured the collapse incident.
“And yes, the victim’s car was spotted at the scene and we will look at all the details in the recordings,” he told a press conference here today.
Police to view CCTV footage to determine Lim’s death
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Star
Tuesday June 18, 2013 MYT 2:06:55 PM
Penang freak storm: Cops get CCTV footage of Jln Macalister in probe to see how Lim Chin Aik died
GEORGE TOWN: The police have obtained a CCTV footage in Jalan Macalister to determine the death of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik.
State police chief DCP Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the CCTV had clear footage but declined to reveal what was captured.
He added the police will help the family to obtain the death certificate. latest by Friday.
“Other than that, the chasis number found at the scene matched that of Lim’s car,” he said in a press conference at the Penang Road police station.
He added that police also received a report by a man who confirmed that Lim was in the car at the scene when the lighting arrestor fell.
An inquest will be conducted to certify Lim’s death.
Penang freak storm: Cops get CCTV footage of Jln … – The Star Online
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Penang Hospital chief Datuk Dr Zahari Noor said its forensic team will have to find Chin Aik’s bone fragments before he can be legally declared dead.
Sundaily
Storm victim’s final resting place
Last updated on 17 June 2013 – 09:44pm
GEORGE TOWN (June 17, 2013): The remains of economy rice seller, Lim Chin Aik, 44, will be permanently entombed 7m below Jalan Macalister after search and rescue operations were called off over safety concerns at 8am today.
The crater, dug up over 40 hours of non-stop operations since Saturday, will be filled and stabilised over the next three days. The road is scheduled to be open to traffic on Thursday.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said operations were called off after discussions with the victim’s family who had come to a consensus on the matter.
In the interim period, Chin Aik’s family will be allowed to offer prayers and continue with other religious rituals at the site.
Storm victim’s final resting place
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In times like this we need to put politics aside.We got to thank the Home Minister Zahid for showing his concern and promising an inquest into the death.
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Malaysiakini
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said police will conduct a probe into the death of hawker Lim Chin Aik so that an inquest can be carried out on the death.
Ahmad Zahid said the probe will be carried out by the forensics department headed by Penang Police chief Abdul Rahman Hanafi.
“The probe will be carried out beginning tomorrow until the (June) 20th,” the minister (seated, centre in photo)said during a press conference with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (seated, right in photo) at the accident site along Jalan Macalister.
“The results of the probe will be sent to me so I can direct the National Registration Department to issue a death certificate on the 21st.
“The certificate is necessary for insurance claims as the vehicle that was discovered belongs to the victim,” he stressed.
George Town OCPD Gan Kon Meng said once the probe is completed, the police will apply for an inquest from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Minister orders probe into storm victim’s death
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I HAVE SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK.
It was reported yesterday (16 June 2013)* that a body had been found, and it was believed to be that of the missing man, Lim Chin Aik. Suddenly, today (17 June 2013)** it was reported that the search had been called off, that it was too risky for the surrounding buildings to keep looking!
What is going on? Did they find a body or not? If it wasn’t a body, why was it reported as a body? If it was a body, whose was it?
Read for yourself:
*NST
16 June 2013| last updated at 12:17PM
PENANG STORM UPDATE: Body excavated from crater
GEORGE TOWN: A body has been excavated from the 5m – crater in Jalan Macalister, Penang. The body is most likely of Lim Chin Aik, 44.
Read more: PENANG STORM UPDATE: Body excavated from crater – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-penang-storm-update-font-body-excavated-from-crater-1.301323?cache=03%3Fpage%3D0%2F7.193132%2F7.249263#ixzz2WRtKVYMU
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**Malaysiakini
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The search for the body of missing Penang hawker Lim Chin Aik was called off at 8am today after his family gave its consent to the decision.
Search for missing Penang hawker called off
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LIM KIT SIANG VISITS SITE OF TRAGEDY
Lim Kit Siang with the mother and wife of the Penang freak storm victim Lim Chin Aik.May God grant them strength in this trying times.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/search-called-off-for-victim-of-penang-freak-storm/
Visited tragic site with Png CM LGE Home Minister Zahid n Png CPO. 15m-tall lightning arrestor atop 21-storey bldg. caused gaping 5m-crater.
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Star
Monday June 17, 2013 MYT 3:35:00 PM
Penang freak storm: Police to conduct inquest to certify death of missing hawker
By CAVINA LIM and CHRISTOPHER TAN
GEORGE TOWN: An inquest will be conducted to certify the death of economy rice seller Lim Chin Aik, 44, the victim reported missing following the freak storm here on Thursday, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi.
Lim is presumed buried 5m deep under a crater in Macalister Road.
The inquest team, who will be chaired by Penang Police Chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi, will start the inquest Tuesday, to conclude Thursday.
Zahid said the results of the inquest would be submitted to him, which he would subsequently direct to the National Registration Department to issue a death certificate for Lim.
Penang freak storm: Police to conduct inquest to certify death of missing hawker
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NST
17 June 2013| last updated at 01:39PM
Forensics sieve wreckage for human remains
GEORGE TOWN: Officials from the Penang Hospital are examining bits of a car that was unearthed from the Jalan Macalister crater for bone particles.
Six Penang Hospital forensic department’s pathologists headed by Datuk Dr Zahari Noor were seen sieving through the remnants of the car to confirm the death of Lim Chin Aik, 44, who is believed to be buried alive in the wreckage.
Dr Zahari told the press earlier if there were no signs of human bits on the wreckage, his team would head to the crater and search for possible remains. A team of four Chemistry Department forensics division staff were also seen assisting the pathologists in the search for the bits of human flesh.
Lim, who is a economy rice seller in Pulau Tikus, was reported missing by his family on Friday after he had gone to pick his daughter up at school. The family had to face the bitter truth when search officials retrieved a car chassis plate and other bits of the car in the crater which belonged to Lim.
Read more: Forensics sieve wreckage for human remains – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/forensics-sieve-wreckage-for-human-remains-1.301903?cache=03D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3FpFpentwage63Dp%3A%2Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.3D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3FpFpentwage63Dp%3A%2Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.111w5ii%2Fed-1.1176%2F%2F2.2525%2F2.2525%2F1.33120%3Fpage%3D0%2F7.1854%3Fpage%3D0%3Fpage%3D0%3Fpage%3D0#ixzz2WY7EjY69
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Malaysiakini
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The search for the body of missing Penang hawker Lim Chin Aik was called off at 8am today after his family gave its consent to the decision.
Chin Aik’s (left) body is believed to be trapped in a crater in Jalan Macalister caused by the impact of a 50m-long lightning rod that fell from Menara Umno during a storm last Thursday night.
Neither his remains nor his belongings have been discovered since the search began the next day.
However, parts of his car – a Honda City – have since been found.
“We decided to call off (the search) after being informed that the surrounding buildings might be at risk if the digging continues,” Tanjong MP Ng Wei Aik told reporters.
“We received advice from the Penang Municipal Council engineers that we need to consider the safety of building structures along Jalan Macalister.”
He also said the state government had received advice from the Penang Island Municipal Council engineering department.
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Malaysiakini
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About 9pm yesterday, Foo Jia Mint (right) and his mother Susan Goh visited the site of the incident, together with Chin Aik’s family-members.Foo said the body is located towards the front of the crater, closer to the iconic Pakistan Mosque.Chia Oon was crying when brought to the scene.
Medium, 13, ‘locates Penang storm victim’s body’
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NST
16 June 2013| last updated at 05:32PM
PENANG STORM UPDATE: Sad Father’s Day for victim’s grieving family
GEORGE TOWN: The family of hawker Lim Chin Aik, 44, have already accepted his fate and is prepared to give him a proper burial.
Read more: PENANG STORM UPDATE: Sad Father’s Day for victim’s grieving family – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-penang-storm-update-font-sad-father-s-day-for-victim-s-grieving-family-1.301423?cache=03D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%252F%253FpFpentwage63Dp%253A%252Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.3D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%252F%253FpFpentwage63Dp%253A%252Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.111w5ii%252Fed%253Fpage%253D0#ixzz2WUDldZsf
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CM Lim Guan Eng shared Buletinmutiara‘s album.
Click on link for photos:
Tragedi Runtuhan Struktur Menara UMNO
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NST
16 June 2013| last updated at 12:17PM
PENANG STORM UPDATE: Body excavated from crater
GEORGE TOWN: A body has been excavated from the 5m – crater in Jalan Macalister, Penang. The body is most likely of Lim Chin Aik, 44.
Earlier Rescue workers at Jalan Macalister, here, were faced with problems excavating the five-metre deep crater as continous water flows from a broken sewer pipe, with few suction machines deployed to expel the water out.Despite that, the contractors and rescue workers continue to work tirelessly to locate a possible wreckage of a car buried together with its driver.
The crater was a result of a falling lightning arrestor pole along with the mast of the Menara Umno here after a freak storm on Thursday.
As of 4am, three excavators were busy scooping out gallons of waste water out of the crater after a sewerage pipe broke, softening soil and marine clay there.
Contractors later managed to find a washer to plug the leak as a temporary measure.
Another tyre of a car found in the crater today. — NSTP/Danial Saad
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Read more: PENANG STORM UPDATE: Body excavated from crater – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-penang-storm-update-font-body-excavated-from-crater-1.301323?cache=03%3Fpage%3D0%2F7.193132%2F7.249263#ixzz2WRtKVYMU
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LIM CHIN AIK IS MISSING
The car is probably buried five meters under a beam structure from the fallen lightning arrestor pole.
Since 6pm yesterday (15 June), Chin Aik’s family – his wife, Lee Chai Song, and his parents – waited anxiously at the site for any sign of his body under the debris but they were to be disappointed.
By 2am, state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh said it was unlikely that Chin Aik’s body would be found before later this morning.
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Sunday June 16, 2013
Woman wails for husband said to be buried 5m in the ground
BY TAN SIN CHOW and CHRISTOPHER TAN north@thestar.com.my
Lee Chai Song, 48, wailed and called out to her husband Lim Chin Aik, 44, in Hokkien “to come out and don’t hide anymore” at the scene.
Tragedy and grief: The victim’s wife (left) being consoled by their son Chia Yiang at the scene of the accident in Jalan Macalister, Penang. …..
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Malaysiakini
Up to 3am this morning, the Special Team Operation and Response Mechanism (Storm) has failed to unearth the body of Lim Chin Aik, who is believed to be trapped under a five-meter crater caused by the impact of a lightning arrestor which was torn from the Penang Umno headquarters along Jalan Macalister on Thursday.
The team was hopeful after parts of a car, confirmed to be Chin Aik’s Honda City when the chassis number, tyres, engine and bumper were discovered within the rubble inside the crater, which is filled with mud, sludge and sewage water from a burst underground pipe.
Penang Fire and Rescue, Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBA) and Indah Water Konsortium personnel have been called in to help clear the debris and dig out the body of the 44-year-old man.
However, as the night progressed – and the two cranes operators dug deeper – sewage water continued to flood the five-meter hole, making work harder and slower.
By 2am, state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh said it was unlikely that Chin Aik’s body would be found before later this morning.
At around 4am, sheet pilling work had to be done as the ground surrounding the crater was loosening due to heavy digging, which may affect surrounding areas like the Penang State Muzium and Gallery and the iconic Masjid Pakistan.
Penang storm – search for missing man continues
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NST
15 June 2013| last updated at 02:18AM
PENANG STORM HAVOC: Police confirm car belongs to 44-year old Lim Chin Aik
GEORGE TOWN: A 44-year old hawker who was reported missing since the freak thunderstorm lashed its fury in Penang on Thursday, is feared to be the third casualty after his wrecked Honda City was found in a five-metre deep crater in Jalan Macalister here.
Rescuers work through the evening to dig through the rubble for signs of the victim.
The pile of car parts belonging to a wrecked Honda City found in the crater. NST pix by Ramdzan Masiam
Read more: PENANG STORM HAVOC: Police confirm car belongs to 44-year old Lim Chin Aik – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-penang-storm-havoc-font-police-confirm-car-belongs-to-44-year-old-lim-chin-aik-1.301074#ixzz2WQoHpgG7
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