Singaporean man, 28, found dead days after car plunges into ravine in Penang

The man reportedly went missing after attending a wake in Penang on March 9. PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

A 28-year-old Singaporean man who went missing after attending a wake in Penang was found dead in a ravine on March 12, said the Malaysian authorities.

Mr Bennedd Chew Wei Fung was travelling in George Town from the Farlim neighbourhood to his home in Relau when his car plunged 50m into a ravine while he was driving along Jalan Paya Terubong.

George Town district police station inspector Shahrul Nizam Abdullah told The Straits Times that Mr Chew was reported missing on the morning of March 9 by a close friend who could not reach him on the phone.

“The victim was later found by some workers who were doing maintenance works at a new highway in that area and happened to see a car in the forest,” said Mr Shahrul, who is from the traffic police department.

The workers called the authorities immediately, and the man’s body was found outside his car, he added.

Mr Shahrul said his team and the Penang Fire and Rescue Department were alerted to the incident at 1.10pm, and arrived at the scene at 2.05pm.

Mr Chew’s mother joined the search and rescue team in Penang, reported Malaysian media outlets.

“Fung, mummy will take you back to Singapore. Fung, you heard me?” she was heard calling out for her son.

“Follow mummy back to Singapore. Mummy (will) bring you home. Fung!”

Sin Chew Daily reported that Mr Chew’s body was collected by family members on March 13 for cremation.

Mr Chew was a house painter, according to the Malaysian daily. He lived with his father in Singapore.

Mr Shahrul told ST on March 13 that the autopsy was completed at 11am at Penang General Hospital.

The cause of Mr Chew’s death was head and neck injuries, Mr Shahrul said, adding that his body was decomposed when it was found.

Mr Chew’s death is the second Singaporean death reported in Malaysia in two days.

Mr Bennedd Chew Wei Fung’s car plunged 50m into a ravine. PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

On March 11, a 60-year-old Singaporean was killed after a tour van he was travelling in collided with a lorry in Sabah.

The van was travelling along Jalan Semporna-Tawau in Sabah’s Semporna district in the east coast when the accident happened.

A 40-year-old Vietnamese woman also died in the accident.

Four other Singaporeans, including an 11-year-old girl, in the van were injured and taken to hospital. The injuries ranged from a brain haemorrhage to an elbow fracture.

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