Motorcyclist dies after ramming into fallen utility pole

KUCHING – An elderly man was killed in a road crash in Kota Samarahan today after the motorcycle he was riding rammed into a telecommunications pole which fell after its cable was dragged by a cement truck.

A spokesman for the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Operations Centre said that they received a call regarding the incident along Jalan Asajaya at 3.15pm, and the victim Thian Joon Jee, 74, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“On arrival at the scene, it was found that a lorry got stuck to a telecommunications cable and then dragged it a few metres, causing several other poles to fall in the middle of the road.

“One of the poles is believed to have been hit by a motorcyclist (the victim),” the statement read.

The fallen poles were later removed from the scene. – Bernama, January 30, 2023