PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Firemen saved two people who plunged into a 12m construction shaft along with their car on Tuesday (May 3).

The rescuers had to rappel down the hole to save the driver and passenger following the freak accident.

Damansara Fire Station chief Ramli Harun said they received a distress call at around 2pm on Tuesday.

"We sent a fire engine and six men to the scene. They arrived in about 10 minutes and found that a Toyota Vios had plunged into the hole along Jalan Universiti near Section 17 here.

"With the help of the police, we closed the affected road and began preparations to send two personnel into the shaft to assess the situation," he said at the scene.

He said rescuers managed to bring out the two victims at around 3.20pm.

"Both victims suffered multiple injuries and have been sent to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre for treatment."

He said with the assistance of a crane from a nearby construction site, they managed to hoist the wrecked car out of the shaft at around 3.45pm.

Meanwhile, civil engineer Pram Velauthan Gopal, who witnessed the accident, said it could have been avoided if the construction site had used proper concrete barriers instead of plastic ones.

"The concrete barriers would not have moved if it was in place in the same scenario," he said.

"The authorities need to look into this issue and make sure similar construction sites all around Petaling Jaya are safe for motorists,"