KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today has today awarded an appreciation certificate to the monorail captain who quickly stopped the train when an uprooted tree fell on the tracks on May 7.
He said that the captain, Ahmad Zahiruddin Nordin, had prevented an even bigger tragedy from happening that day.
“I was informed of his action by Prasarana’s management and in the previous Cabinet meeting, I have told Prasarana that we should appreciate his quick action. Because of his action, he saved the situation and many lives on that day.
“There were more than 30 passengers on the train. Imagine if the train didn’t stop and hit the tree, there might be a massive tragedy that happened on that day,” he said in a press conference here.
In the same press conference, Loke also said that the ministry had requested the government-owned public transport company to cooperate with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and authorities to identify the high-risk trees.
He went on to say that the ministry has been discussing with the authorities to carry out the trees’ maintenance constantly.
On May 7, a large tree in downtown Kuala Lumpur just outside the Concorde Hotel on Jalan Sultan Ismail suddenly toppled, likely due to the strong winds and lashing rain.
The tree branches fell on the monorail tracks between the Bukit Nanas and Raja Chulan stations causing the line to experience a delay.
