Two trains collided in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, resulting in over 200 people injured. The accident transpired at 8:45 p.m. local time. One of the trains was traveling on a test run and had only one driver when it collided with a train carrying passengers.
Both trains collided in an underground tunnel near the Petronas Twin Towers. One of the trains was empty after being repaired. According to district police chief Mohamad Zainal Abdullah, it collided head-on with another train with 213 passengers aboard traveling in the opposite direction on the same track.
Photos making their rounds on social media displayed wounded passengers sprawled on the carriage floor, covered in glass. At least 47 individuals were severely hurt. One hundred sixty-six people sustained minor wounds. They were admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment, such as Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Two trains operated by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad were moving at 40 km per hour at the instance they collided in a tunnel dividing the KLCC and Kampung Baru stations.
The collision transpired in a tunnel section about 100 meters away from the KLCC station near the Petronas towers. According to Abdullah, "We are still investigating the incident... but we suspect that perhaps there was a miscommunication from the trains' operations control center," reported NBC News.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stated on Facebook that the collision was "serious." According to the transport ministry, it would set up a task force to probe into the crash.
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Photos and videos posted on social media displayed numerous passengers bleeding. Broken glass panels inside the trains can also be seen.
Abdullah remarked that the train with passengers was heading from KLCC station to the Gombak station at the of the line. The unoccupied train was traveling from the Kampung Baru to the Gombak station.
The trains are operated by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad. According to Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, the crash was the first significant accident in the metro system's 23 years of operation. He vowed a meticulous investigation.
Malaysia's prime minister has called for a full probe to find out the cause of the accident. He said, "I take this accident seriously and have instructed the Transport Ministry and Prasarana Malaysia Berhad to conduct a full investigation," reported CNN.
According to Abdullah, the train on the test run was reportedly manually operated by a pilot. The Kelana Jaya-bound train carrying passengers was operated on autopilot from the trains control center. He said it is fortunate the trains were moving at a slower speed of around 40kmph.
He added they would check if there was negligence or there was a miscommunication between the control center and the driver behind the train on a test run. As of now, they see no signs of sabotage, reported The Sun Daily.
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