Video shows how SUV plunged into sea after collision with another car on Penang Bridge

A search and rescue operation is underway after an SUV plunged off the Penang Bridge and into the sea after a collision with a car on Sunday (Jan 20).

A video has since emerged showing what happened before the vehicle fell into the waters below.

In the video, the SUV and a black car are seen travelling at high speeds along the bridge that links Penang Island with the mainland side of the Malaysian state.

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The black car then suddenly swerves and crashes head-on into the side of the SUV which causes it to overturn and roll towards the left side of the bridge before plunging into the sea.

According to The Straits Times, the Perai Fire and Rescue department, located on the mainland side of Penang, was alerted to the accident at 2.35am.

The search operation was called off at 7pm on Sunday and resumed at 7am on Monday, reports The Star.

The rescuers have dropped anchors to a depth of 20m and dragged them along the seabed to detect the wreckage.

However, they have still not found it or the victims.

“The difficulty is that we are experiencing strong currents,” chief Azlan Hassan said.

The police believe that there was only one person in the SUV when it plunged into the waters, Moey Yun Peng, a 20-year-old college student from Taman Kempas, Butterworth on mainland Penang.

His father had lodged a missing person report at around 4.59am on Sunday after he was told that his son's vehicle had been involved in an accident along the bridge.

Central Seberang Prai police chief Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said that the 21-year-old driver of the black car seen hitting the SUV in the video was sent to hospital for treatment.

Photos circulating on WhatsApp showed how damaged the black Toyota was after the collision.

The incident is being investigated as reckless and dangerous driving.