KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — The major thoroughfare serving the city’s bustling Golden Triangle was cut off this morning after a burst water pipe caused a section of it to collapse.

The mid-morning incident happened along a 19-metre stretch at the busy Jalan Pudu-Jalan Imbi-Jalan Hang Tuah intersection, ending with a 10-metre deep sinkhole just 20 metres from the elevated KL Monorail track near the Imbi station.

A Fire and Rescue Department official said the culprit was a burst water pipe maintained by water concessionaire Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), but no casualties were reported in the incident, which is not too far from where contractors are preparing for tunnelling works under Bukit Bintang for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project.

“The management of the MRT project has requested that Monorail services from the Hang Tuah station to Imbi station be suspended immediately.

“This has been reported to Monorail, Syabas and DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) officials for their action,” Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department assistant Director Azizan Ismail said in a brief media statement.

The major thoroughfare serving the city’s bustling Golden Triangle was cut off this morning after a burst water pipe caused a section of it to collapse. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

In an immediate response to the incident, MRT Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) stressed that the road collapse had nothing to do with the project as the alignment of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang line does not pass the location.

“MRT Corp wishes to state unequivocally that the incident is not related in any way to the MRT project,” the company said in a brief statement posted on its official Facebook page.

MRT Corp said DBKL and the police have since taken steps to implement traffic diversions in the Bukit Bintang area and urged motorists to heed all traffic signage.