Compiled by DIVYA THERESA RAVI and C.ARUNO
KOTA KINABALU: The forgetfulness of a 66-year-old driver was believed to have caused her vehicle to crash into the departure hall area of Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).
Kinabalu district police chief Asst Comm Shahrudin Mat Husain said the woman had forgotten to put her SUV in “park” before accidentally pressing the accelerator.
Based on investigations, the woman had stopped in front of the KKIA building to pick up her son, who was to take over the vehicle, during the incident at about 4.55pm on Saturday.
“When she tried to get out, the SUV began moving slowly, which caused her to panic and accidentally press the accelerator, sending the vehicle speeding forward,” he said in a statement.
The SUV was said to have struck another vehicle before crashing into the glass doors of the KKIA departure hall, eventually colliding with a building pillar.
The driver sustained minor facial injuries from glass fragments, ACP Shahrudin said.
“She was taken by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth I Hospital for further treatment.”
The case is being investigated under Rule 10 of the Road Traffic Rules pursuant to the Road Transport Act.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
