Woman killed by falling crane hook
Construction suspended as police hunt for operator who fled
A woman was killed when a crane hook fell on her car at Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Ms Chin Khoon Sing, 24, whose car was stationary in the traffic jam due to the rush hour, was killed instantly.
The hook is believed to have detached from a crane at a construction site nearby before falling on Ms Chin's car at 7.20pm, reported The Star.
The construction site is believed to be part of the Pavilion shopping mall.
It was later learnt that the hook weighs about a tonne, reported the New Straits Times.
Police believe that Ms Chin was returning home from her office when the tragedy occurred.
Ms Chin's family members and friends were seen entering the hospital's morgue, but they declined to comment.
Police are looking for the unidentified crane operator, who ran away from the construction site immediately after the incident.
POOR SAFETY
The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) said it is working with the police to track down the operator.
"We cannot locate this person. We are trying to get his details from his employer. We're not sure if he is Malaysian or whether he was trained properly to handle the crane," DOSH director-general Mohtar Musri said.
The crane had violated safety laws for operating outside the hoard fencing surrounding the construction site. He said that construction at the tower project has been stopped for investigations.
The department believes the crane hook might have fallen after a rope supporting it snapped.
But the accident would not have occurred if the crane hook had not been dangling above a public road.
He said: "There is a hoarding surrounding the building and the crane is not supposed to operate outside the hoarding. But the part that fell was outside the hoarding. It was on the road."
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