75 fire dept personnel involved in LRT crash rescue operation

 

A total of 75 Fire and Rescue Department personnel from Kuala Lumpur, led by its chief Nordin Pauzi, were involved in the rescue operations following a collision of two LRT trains last night, according to a preliminary report of the incident.

The Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department in the report released late last night said it received an emergency call at 8.37pm and a fire engine from the KLCC station arrived at the scene seven minutes later, followed by five other types of machinery from surrounding stations.

Contrary to initial reports, the Fire and Rescue Department said the underground tunnels collision involved train number 240 and train number 181 that was plying the Kelana Jaya line.

It confirmed that the Gombak-bound train number 181, from KLCC with 213 passengers and moving at 40km/hour, collided with the empty train number 240 - with one driver and operator - moving at 20km/hour from the opposite direction on the same track.

"The (malfunctioning) train number 240 was being test-driven manually, where it was not coordinated by the command control centre," the department said.

Aftermath photos from the scene showed bleeding passengers and bloodstained LRT cabins, believed to be from the impact of the collision.

The preliminary report stated that 166 people sustained light injuries while 47 others were more seriously hurt.

The Fire and Rescue Department said challenges faced during the rescue operations include moving those injured from the LRT through an emergency route of less than 1m wide, about 150m to the nearest platform terminal.

Live broadcasts by 8TV and Bernama TV from the scene last night showed the injured people being carried out of the Avenue K shopping mall onto waiting ambulances and Civil Defence Department vehicles.

The KLCC station has an exit at the mall. - Mkini