KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — A Mitsubishi Pajero swept away in a headwater surge in the Klang River near the Saloma Link has been recovered, though the man who was in the vehicle remains missing.
According to Berita Harian, Dang Wangi district police chief Asst Comm Sazalee Adam said the four-wheel drive was found about 1.5km from the incident site at around 8.30am, after search and rescue (SAR) efforts resumed for a third day.
“The vehicle was found without the victim after the river level dropped by nearly a metre. The weather today is relatively good, and the SAR operation will continue until 7pm,” he said at the scene, according to the national daily.
“The discovery helps us refocus on the possible current pathways that may have carried the victim.”
The Pajero has since been handed back to the company that owns it.
Emergency services — involving the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force and police — have deployed their full assets to the search, including 21 divers working across four designated zones.
Drones, small boats and kayaks are also being used to cover nearly 20km of the river, with the search expected to extend into Selangor.
Sazalee confirmed that the victim’s phone, which had reportedly continued ringing until yesterday, is no longer active.
“Yesterday the currents were strong, but today the water is calmer, clearer and less risky for divers,” he reportedly said.
The four search sectors identified earlier will continue to be examined in detail.
Any suspicious structures or obstructions along the river will be designated as “hot spots” for divers to focus on.
The Kuala Lumpur Operations Centre received the initial emergency call on Monday via the Titiwangsa Fire and Rescue Station.
Firefighters from Titiwangsa and Jalan Hang Tuah stations were dispatched to the location, where they found 12 workers trapped under the bridge.
A rope-based rescue operation managed to save all 12 — one Malaysian and 11 foreign workers from Indonesia and Bangladesh.
One man, however, was reported missing after being swept away by strong currents while reportedly attempting to move a vehicle parked under the bridge as the surge arrived.
Police later identified the missing man as a 34-year-old Malaysian working as a site supervisor for the Klang River improvement project.
