Last night (24th May), reports flooded in of a train crash that had occurred on the Kelana Jaya line. Passengers reported the crash happening near KLCC, with many injured.
While the trains have resumed their service this morning (25th May), passengers from the crash are still trying to recover from the incident. Some have taken to social media to share their experience.
According to Twitter user Lim Mahfudz, the whole incident felt like a nightmare. Passengers were jolted from their positions when the train jerked to a stop before colliding with another train. Some passengers were injured by the impact while others were wounded by the train’s broken glass panels. “I’m extremely alright with no problems at all,” Lim wrote. “Thank you God for saving my life.”
Another passenger, Afiq Luqman Mohd Baharudin (27) noted that prior to the crash, the train had stopped for 15 minutes before resuming its journey. “We had only moved for a few seconds when the crash happened and the impact was so strong that I suffered injuries to my head, left leg and chest,” he said. Luqman explained that he and other passengers were helped out by the security team. They were then rushed to the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital for further treatment.
Service for the LRT Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur resumed at 6am this morning with trains operating on a single track. Prasarana Malaysia reassured citizens that there will be supporting shuttle bus services to compensate for the train frequency. They have warned passengers that the trains would arrive every 10 minutes for peak hours and 30 minutes for off-peak hours. This is in line with the government’s MCO 3.0 restrictions, as public transport capacity was reduced to 50 percent starting today.
According to Prasarana Malaysia, the cleaning and recovery of the Kelana Jaya Line should be done in three days. They are also sanitising the KLCC station and its surrounding areas to ensure Covid-19 does not spread. “Prasarana regrets the incident and will continue monitoring developments of passengers involved last night and cooperate fully with the relevant authorities,” they said in a statement released today. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stated that Prasarana Malaysia and the transport ministry will be conducting a “full investigation to identify the cause of the accident”.
Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz also reiterated that the government will spare no effort in investigating the matter. “I have been in touch with YB Datuk Seri Ir. Dr. Wee Ka Siong, Minister of Transport, for follow-up action to identify the cause of the accident,” he said in a Facebook post. “I have also directed Syarikat Prasarana Nasional Berhad, a company of the Minister of Finance Incorporated, to immediately investigate this matter and submit a detailed report to ensure that this incident does not recur in the future.” Additionally, the Finance Minister promised the government would bear the full cost of the victims’ medical treatment. “I pray they will all recover soon,” he said. He also thanked the rescue team who worked hard to save the victims last night.
Many have left their well wishes on various social media sites along with prayers. Malaysian artist Michael Wong otherwise known as Guang Liang (光良) also posted on Facebook last night expressing his own thoughts on the matter. “Don’t want bad things to happen again,” he wrote. “I hope everyone is safe.” The artist mentioned in the comments that he was worried about the victims as hospitals and paramedics were also combating the epidemic.
Netizens responded to the post, agreeing that accidents during the epidemic would make things worse. “Fortunately, it was not during the peak period,” one comment said. “Otherwise the consequences will be (worse).” Others expressed well wishes for both the victims and the medical staff. As one Facebook user pointed out, “Now the medical (staff) are all busy with the epidemic. (With) so many people suddenly injured, I don’t know how (this) could be better.”
We hope the victims of the crash will recover soon. While we may not have much to offer, hopefully we can take the burden off our medical teams by staying indoors. The sooner we can bring down Covid cases, the easier it will be for them.
Update (25th May, 1:43pm):
Prasarana chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman stated that Prasarana will be covering the medicial costs of every victim until they are discharged. The chairman also mentioned during a press conference today (25th May) that RM1,000 will be compensated to all 213 victims.
Currently, 64 passengers are still hospitalised, with six in critical condition and three needed ventilators. Police suspect that the crash was caused by a communication error from the control error. One train which was carrying the 213 passengers was being driven automatically while the other train which was coming from the opposite direction was being test-driven manually by a single driver.
Sources: Channel News Asia, Malay Mail, The Star (1)(2), Xuan, Facebook (1)(2), Twitter, Bernama
