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GEORGE TOWN: A 999 call about a plane crash sent rescue teams on an unsuccessful two-hour search of the waters off Tanjung Bungah today, and police said the call was likely a hoax.
There were no signs of a plane crash in the area around Pulau Tikus islet, 1 km from the coast, and no emergency calls were received, said Northeast District Police Chief Soffian Santong.
The aviation, maritime and military authorities have also reported no incidents in the area so far, Penang Executive Councilor Phee Boon Poh said in a short message.
He said the 999 call was made at 2.26 pm and the caller claimed that a plane had crashed into Pulau Tikus. The fire and rescue department said it left the area after firefighters and marine police found nothing after searching the area for about two hours.
A report by Bernama later said that Soffian urged anyone who has lost a family member who is a pilot to file a police report. “So far we have not received any reports from the victim’s family,” he said.
He said that two men had claimed to have seen a dark-colored plane sinking into the sea. On social media, a man said they saw smoke rising from the plane before it fell into the sea while on Tanjung Bungah beach.
Subsequently, people began to flood the coastal area to witness search and rescue operations carried out by the authorities, including the Civil Defense Force.
Soffian said the search could continue in the morning if there was more information.
