5KM TRAFFIC CRAWL ON NSE AFTER CRASH
Victims were not at the scene when firemen arrived, says spokesman
THE closure of Menora Tunnel due to an accident involving two vehicles at Km261.4 of the North-South Expressway (northbound) triggered a 5km crawl yesterday.
A PLUS spokesman said the collision, involving a Proton Saga and a Proton Saga Aeroback, caused both lanes of the tunnel to be temporarily closed.
The lanes were reopened at 12pm after the completion of clean-up works.
“Traffic was backed up for 5km along the Ipoh-Kuala Kangsar stretch,” said the spokesman.
A Perak Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said it was alerted to the incident at 11.31am.
“However, the victims were not at the scene when the firemen arrived. Our personnel cleaned up the area.”
Meanwhile, the show of civic consciousness among motorists caught in the congestion after the accident earned praises, especially on social media.
The motorists had parked their vehicles close to either side of the tunnel, leaving ample space for rescue operations to be carried out smoothly. An image of motorists giving way to the Fire and Rescue Department, as well as ambulance, went viral, with many lauding their action and drawing comparisons to a similar incident that happened in South Korea in February last year.
Federal police Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department principal assistant director (enforcement) Superintendent Mustafa Bakri Salleh said the massive traffic crawl threatened to hamper the operations of rescue units.
“However, thanks to the cooperation of the public, including traffic police, PLUS personnel and motorists, the rescue units could reach the scene of the accident.”
He said traffic flow returned to normal once the vehicles involved in the accident were removed.