SANDAKAN: A routine walk outside Wisma Persekutuan Sandakan turned into a frightening ordeal when a woman plunged about five feet into an uncovered manhole at about 1pm on Tuesday (Jan 27). The incident, which occurred near the pedestrian walkway of the building, caused alarm among members of the public who rushed to assist before emergency responders arrived. Sandakan District Civil Defence officer Captain (PA) Sulaiman Salama said the woman, a trainee at Taska Al Furqan of the Sandakan Inland Revenue Board, had stepped out to buy food when she fell into the open manhole. Following a distress call, a Civil Defence Force rescue team was dispatched to the scene, where they conducted an immediate safety assessment before carefully extricating the victim from the manhole. The incident has raised safety concerns over uncovered manholes in public areas frequented by pedestrians.

Source: The Star January 29, 2026 02:05 UTC