Barriers placed across the road at Lebuhraya Mayang Pasir in Bayan Baru, Penang, to prevent vehicles from entering the affected area. (Facebook pic)GEORGE TOWN: A large hole opened up along Lebuhraya Mayang Pasir in Bayan Baru this afternoon, forcing authorities to close the road to traffic.

Infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said preliminary information from the public works department (JKR) suggested that an underground sewage pipe belonging to Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) might have burst, causing a section of the road to collapse.

Zairil told FMT that while the information had yet to be verified, the road was closed as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation.