LRT mishap: Govt to ensure such incidents don't recur - PM

 

The government will ensure incidents such as the recent Light Rail Transit (LRT) train collision do not happen again, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Speaking to Bernama, he said the government will ensure a thorough investigation is carried out to find what caused the accident involving two LRT trains that collided on Monday (May 24).

“A special task force was formed to investigate the cause and effect of how it could have happened.

“For more than 20 years, we never heard of an LRT collision, but because it has happened, we feel sad and we want to investigate. In a short time, we should know what happened,” he said.

He was speaking after visiting the accident victims and their families at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital today.

In the 8.45pm incident, 47 passengers were seriously injured while 166 suffered minor injuries when a train carrying passengers and a faulty train that was being test-driven collided in a tunnel between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said he had directed Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong to immediately restore LRT services, especially at the accident area, and to ride on the LRT himself to ensure its safety.

“If everything is settled and there is no more danger, he (Wee) said that in the next few days it (LRT services) will be back in operation,” he said while urging the public to be patient if they faced difficulties using the LRT in the wake of the accident.

Muhyiddin said three victims were still being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), while two more were being monitored in normal wards.

He said doctors’ reports showed that all victims were stable, with those in the normal wards set to be discharged soon.

“Those in the ICU will take a little more time to recover and to be discharged. I pray that all of them will recover soon and return to their families as well as be able to continue with their duties and responsibilities,” he said.

Earlier, he visited the crash victims before meeting the family members of the two victims in the ICU and getting a briefing from Kuala Lumpur Hospital director Dr Heric Corray and Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin, who spent about six minutes speaking to the families of the victims, expressed his sadness and gave them words of encouragement.

“The doctors are always there and will take care (of them) 24 hours… (I) pray that they will recover soon and be healthy again,” he said.

- Bernama