Schoolbus driver dies in river plunge

GEORGE TOWN: A schoolbus headed for SJK(C) Chung Hwa Confucian plunged into a river near the State Mosque in Air Itam at 7.20am, killing the driver, Koe Joon Huat, 48,
Some of the 23 primary school pupils onboard sustained minor injuries and received outpatient treatment at the Penang Hospital yesterday.
It was the first day of school after the one-week Chinese New Year break.
Tragic: The schoolbus hanging precariously on the edge of the Sungai Air Itam riverbank.

(Inset) Amelia sobbing after learning that the driver had died in the accident.

The bus crashed through a railing and plunged into Sungai Air Itam, about 200m from the school. The impact shattered the windscreen.
The children were fortunate as the river was only knee-deep, and escaped by crawling out through the broken windscreen.
Koe suffered serious head injuries and is believed to have died while on the way to hospital.

Kuan YIn Temple

Festive lights: An electrician checking the wiring of the red and yellow lanterns at Kek Lok Si Temple which will be lighted from Jan 21 to Feb 22.

The 119 year old Kek Lok Si temple in Air Itam in Penang will be all lighted up with more than 10,000 lanterns and 230,000 multi-coloured bulbs.

“From Chap Goh Meh (Feb 9) until Feb 22, the lights will only be switched on for three hours until 10am.

“The Goddess of Mercy statue will also look magnificent as special lights will be put around it,” he said when contacted yesterday,

Kek Lok Si Temple is again filled with bright lights fater the annual lighting ceremony.

Earlier, the temple abbot Rev Seck Jit Heng extended his apologies for the 13-month delay of the construction of the Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) pavilion due to problems in getting granite.

Rev Seck said the construction of the RM40mil 20-storey structure, which would house the 30.2m-tall bronze statue of the deity, would be wrapped up by the end of this year.