Hailstorm and flash flood mayhem in KL


PETALING JAYA: Heavy rain and hailstorm pelted the city, causing mayhem, stranding hundreds of motorists in traffic snarls and passengers on stalled train services.

As of 7pm, flash floods caused a traffic standstill around Batu Muda Tambahan towards Sentul, and along Jalan Hikmat Usaha near Masjid Wilayah, according to StarTraffic.

Flash floods were also re­­ported near Tung Shin Hos­pital along Jalan Pudu, Jalan Imbi and the Shah Alam Highway (Kesas) at the Indah Parade intersection in Sri Petaling.

Traffic congestion was also reported along Jalan Duta, near Jalan Semantan and major highways heading into the city.

Crushed: A tree uprooted by the hailstorm crushing a car at the KL Astro car park in Sungai Besi yesterday.
Crushed: A tree uprooted by the hailstorm crushing a car at the KL Astro car park in Sungai Besi yesterday. 

Traffic police were de­­ploy­ed at the intersection between Jalan Pantai Baru and Bangsar to help ease traffic congestion that had built up due to flash floods and a fallen tree.

A fallen tree also caused massive jams in both directions along the KL-Seremban Highway near Technology Park Malaysia in Bukit Jalil.

Traffic was at a 5km crawl near the Gombak toll, heading to the city.

Office mess: Staff of the Standard Chartered Bank branch at Wisma Scope International, next to Kuala Lumpur-Sungai Besi Highway, viewing the damage to the ceiling after the storm.
Office mess: Staff of the Standard Chartered Bank branch at Wisma Scope International, next to Kuala Lumpur-Sungai Besi Highway, viewing the damage to the ceiling after the storm. 

The harsh weather also brought ERL and LRT train services to a halt, stranding passengers after violent storms caused power disruptions to the Rapid KL’s LRT Sri Petaling Line.

“While services between Cheras and Sri Petaling stopped from 6.24pm, train services continued with longer waiting period between Awan Besar and Bandar Puteri,” said Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd CEO Ahmad Nizam Mohamed Amin.

LRT commuter K. Parkaran, 62, told the Star­Online that he and around 200 other passengers waited for more than two hours at the Sri Petaling station for the service to resume.

City Fire and Rescue Department chief operations officer Samsol Maarif Saibani said the department received reports of at least 45 fallen trees around the city as of 7.35pm.

Raining ice: A passer-by collecting hailstones that littered the Sungai Besi area yesterday
Raining ice: A passer-by collecting hailstones that littered the Sungai Besi area yesterday. 

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