By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 21: A 27-year-old lorry driver was killed after being buried in mud when the premix-laden lorry he was driving skidded and plunged into a muddy drain along Jalan Batang Lupar-Sadong near Kampung Tebeluk, Sebuyau, early this morning.
The victim, identified as Richmond Anak Pusai, was trapped and completely buried inside the lorry cabin after the vehicle overturned in the incident. It took rescuers more than seven hours to recover his body, with the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) deploying heavy machinery, including a crane and excavator, during the operation.
According to a Bomba report, an emergency call regarding the accident was received at 7.06am before firefighters from the Asajaya Fire and Rescue Station were dispatched to the scene, located about 49 kilometres away. The rescue team arrived at 7.56am.
Initial police investigations indicated that the accident is believed to have occurred around 5am after the lorry’s front tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Rescue and extraction efforts were challenging as the victim was pinned inside the mud-filled cabin. The operation required rescuers to dig through thick mud while using the assistance of a crane and excavator to lift the overturned lorry and gain access to the victim.
After more than seven hours of rescue efforts, the victim was finally extricated from the wreckage at 2.47pm.
The victim was later pronounced dead at the scene and his body was handed over to the police for further action. – DayakDaily
