Malaysia Train Collision Injures 200 Passengers

More than 200 passengers were injured Monday when two light rail trains collided in an underground tunnel near the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, the state-run Bernama news agency reported.

The accident occurred at 8:45 p.m. local time when one of the trains, which was going on a test run and had only one driver, collided head-on with another train carrying 213 passengers traveling in the opposite direction on the same track. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong called the collision “the first major crash” in the country’s 23-year-old metro system and pledged a “thorough” probe.

The minister said both trains were traveling at approximately 25 miles per hour when they collided.

“One carriage was traveling at 20 kilometers per hour (12.4 mph) and another at around 40 kilometers per hour (24.8 mph) when the collision happened. This caused a significant jolt that threw some passengers out of their seats,” Wee said, according to ABC News.

Of the 213 passengers, 166 sustained minor injuries and were sent to nearby hospitals to receive treatment. Forty-seven passengers sustained severe injuries, according to the state media.

Videos and photos posted on Twitter showed bloodied passengers, authorities rushing injured people to hospitals, and medical workers treating dozens on train stations.

Dang Wangi District Police chief ACP Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the train carrying the passengers was moving away from KLCC station to the Gombak station at one end of the line. The line uses automated trains controlled by the operation center. On the other hand, the empty train was heading from Kampung Bary station to the Gombak station.

“We are still investigating the incident … but we suspect that perhaps there was a miscommunication from the trains’ operations control center,” Abdullah said. It remains unclear why the trains were traveling on the same track but in opposite directions.

Afiq Luqman Mohd Baharudin, a passenger, said the train stopped for roughly 15 minutes shortly before the crash. “We had only been moving for 10 seconds when the accident happened,” the 27-year-old told Bernama. “The impact was really strong.”

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin called authorities to launch a full investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

"I take this accident seriously and have instructed the Transport Ministry and Prasarana Malaysia Berhad to conduct a full investigation," he told the state news agency.

Train services resumed Tuesday morning.

This picture taken on May 24, 2021 shows rescue personnel carrying an injured passenger outside KLCC station after an accident involving two Light Rail Transit (LRT) trains in Kuala Lumpur. - Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images