Penang fire and rescue department assistant operations director John Sagun Francis said they received an emergency call at 12.10pm and dispatched a team to the site.

He said the Pakistani national was stranded on platform No 4 of the 40m-high telco tower while carrying out maintenance work there.

“The 29-year-old man was unable to get down after wasps from a nearby nest measuring 25cm in diameter began roaming on platform No 1 at a height of 10m,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

“The operations commander ordered the firemen to put on full personal protective equipment to carry out the rescue work.”

Sagun said the firemen managed to pass an insect-proof jacket to the worker from a safety rope before he managed to get down without any mishap.

The nest was later destroyed by the pest control department.