On Thursday (20 Nov), passengers aboard a monorail in Kuala Lumpur (KL) were forced to evacuate via a narrow catwalk after the train stalled due to a malfunction.
The evacuation process, which took over 40 minutes, sparked a mix of concern and praise online.
According to The Star, 373 passengers were stranded on the Medan Tuanku route near Maju Junction due to a technical issue.
The train operator, Rapid Rail, quickly swung into action, evacuating passengers to an adjacent train on a small catwalk.
A viral video from the scene shows passengers being led across the narrow catwalk to safety.
Source: @hrgirly_ on TikTok
The video was shared widely on platforms like TikTok and the r/Malaysia subreddit, drawing attention to the unusual evacuation method.
The evacuation process was compared to boarding a ferry at a jetty by some commenters.
Source: Reddit
Others saw it as a practical solution, especially when compared to previous incidents where passengers were forced to walk along the tracks.
Source: Reddit
The Kuala Lumpur fire department confirmed they received an emergency call at 9.39am, but were informed by the monorail operator that the situation was under control and the evacuation was already in progress.
Unfortunately, one 58-year-old female passenger fainted during the incident.
She was immediately provided with medical attention and transferred to the Health Ministry for further care.
Following the successful evacuation, Rapid Rail confirmed that the technical malfunction had been resolved and normal train operations had resumed.
They issued an apology for the inconvenience caused and thanked passengers for their patience during the ordeal.
Also read: More & longer planned MRT closures needed in future to keep trains reliable: Jeffrey Siow
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Featured image adapted from @hrgirly_ on TikTok.