Collapsed pedestrian bridge in Desa Tun Razak, KL
It’s not uncommon to see constructions for massive projects on Malaysian roads, as we are constantly building or upgrading something. An incident yesterday, 3rd March 2021, saw the unfortunate result of a derailed trailer lorry colliding with scaffolding of an under-construction pedestrian bridge near a construction site for SUKE Highway. The collision claimed the lives of 2 women and severely injured 3 other passengers travelling in a passing van. It has since been reported by The Star that the driver of the trailer has tested positive for drugs.
5-hour rescue mission for derailed trailer lorry
The tragic incident happened at 5.58PM yesterday after distress calls were made to the City Fire and Rescue Department. The trailer lorry was said to be carrying an excavator when it collided with the steel scaffolding of a pedestrian bridge that was under construction.
The bridge is located near a construction site of the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) highway, just across Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, on Middle Ring Road 2, in Desa Tun Razak, KL.
Part of the collapsed structure landed onto a passing van, which trapped 5 passengers – 4 women and 1 man aged between 30 and 45 – all Malaysians, who worked in a factory that is unnamed in media reports. According to a report from New Straits Times, they had been on their way to work, with the van heading towards Ampang. 2 women, aged 47 and 42, were killed following the collapse of the bridge.
Image adapted from: Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat W.P Kuala Lumpur
Photos and videos that have been circulating online of the incident shows just how bad the situation was, as a massive chunk of the under-construction bridge was seen to have fallen on the road, atop the blue factory van.
A 4-hour rescue mission to retrieve victims of the incident was carried out yesterday. It involved 23 firemen, and several fire engines and emergency rescue vehicles, as the risk of a second collapse of the already-unstable bridge still posed a risk for those nearby the site.
Image adapted from: Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat W.P Kuala Lumpur
All 5 passengers were successfully retrieved from the crash, but only 3 survived, including the driver, and are now being treated at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. A new report from The Star today quoted City Traffic Investigation and Enforcement chief Asst Comm Zulkefly Yahya with updates on the survivors’ conditions. The driver is said to have sustained internal bleeding, a shoulder injury, and bruises on his lungs, while the 2 women survivors had various leg injuries.
Image credit: Info Roadblock JPJ/POLIS
Driver tests positive for drugs
Investigations are still underway to find out how the accident happened. The Star reports that the developers of SUKE Highway put out a statement saying that the ongoing construction for the highway was not the cause of the accident yesterday.
Previous reports ruled the overloaded trailer as a cause for the tragic accident and collapse of the bridge. But The Star has since confirmed that the trailer lorry’s driver tested positive for drugs, with urine tests uncovering that he had methamphetamine – a strong drug that affects the central nervous system – in his system.
The driver did not sustain injuries from the accident, and is under police custody.
Collapsed pedestrian bridge claims the lives of 2 passengers
The accident has no doubt shaken a lot of Malaysians to the core, with how badly the collapse of the pedestrian bridge looked from pictures. We extend our well wishes to all the survivors, and hope that they’ll be able to recover soon, and send our condolences to the families of the victims of yesterday’s tragic crash.
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Cover image adapted from: Info Roadblock JPJ/POLIS