Train derailment: Worst incident in country's history

The derailment of a cargo train at Kampung Bakap near Batu Gajah Station here yesterday was the worst incident in the 130-year history of the country's rail services.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad said even though there had been some derailment incidents before, but they were not as bad as yesterday's incident.

"Friday's derailment was like a garuda (large mythical bird) attack, everything was badly damaged. Since the wagons were empty, they could have easily collided with one another.

"If they are loaded, they are more solid because each wagon weighs 12 tonnes without load and 45 tonnes with load," he told reporters at the scene of the incident, here Saturday.

Nawawi said the estimated losses were around tens of millions of ringgit.

"The price of one locomotive is RM12 million while a wagon is RM400,000," Nawawi said.

In the 3.15am incident on Friday, two locomotives and 40 wagons travelling from Kuang, Selangor to Tasek, Perak, to collect cement, derailed at KM200.3 between Kota Bharu and Lahat.

The two locomotives and 25 empty wagons had blocked two tracks. -- Bernama