KUALA LUMPUR – The driver of the empty light rail transit (LRT) train (Train 40) involved in the underground collision last night was heading in the wrong direction, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong.
He said initial investigations pointed to human error that resulted in the collision, injuring 64 commuters, of which six are in critical condition.
“It (the error) led the train to end up on the wrong track and collided with Train 81,” Wee said in a virtual press conference today.
A total of 213 commuters were in Train 81 when the collision took place near the KLCC station here last night.
Wee said Train 40 that was supposed to be southbound heading towards Dang Wangi station had instead taken the opposite direction which resulted in a collision between the two trains.
He added that the special task force that includes industry experts has 14 days from the accident to submit an investigation report to the Transport Ministry.
The nine-member task force will be led by the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Isham Ishak.
Meanwhile, Wee said at the moment, there is no way to estimate the losses incurred, and authorities are still in the process of cleaning up the debris.
“The workers have been given three days to clean up the debris, which is the standard operating procedure. Due to the crash yesterday, some trains had to be rerouted.
“Operations will resume as usual once the debris is cleared.”
Earlier, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd’s first and former CEO Datuk Ridza Abdoh Salleh told The Vibes that the collision between two light rail transit trains on the Kelana Jaya line last night was most likely caused by human error.
Yesterday’s crash occurred underground near the KLCC station. There were 213 people aboard the train on auto mode when it collided into one driven by a Prasarana employee and carrying no commuters.
Immediately following the accident, videos, and photos of scenes aboard the train carrying passengers flooded social media, showing people bloodied and on the ground, and broken glass everywhere.
Prasarana, in a statement today, said six individuals are in critical condition at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, with three requiring ventilators. Another 15 are in semi-critical condition, while 43 others sustained non-critical injuries.
The accident is being investigated under Section 201 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 for passenger endangerment.
Prasarana chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has promised a RM1,000 compensation for each of the victims. – The Vibes, May 25, 2021
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