Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) has stopped its rail
service to the east coast as its coaches are submerged in the floods that had
hit the region.300 bridge tracks, 10 train stations and 19 coaches are affected by the floods, either submerged entirely or partially by waters up to 3m high, according to the rail company.
"This is the worst flood the company has seen since 1969," said KTMB chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad.
"We are sad to say we have stopped our east coast
operations since Monday and the situation is expected to last till the end of
next month," he told a press conference here yesterday.Eight intercity and express trains have been cancelled from the Chegar Perah station in Pahang to Tumpat in Kelantan.
With 800 staff members of KTMB affected, Nawawi said the company wanted to send food and basic necessities to them but, without a single landing pad for helicopters, they can only airdrop the items.
KTMB sent out a team of volunteers to bring aid to the
victims yesterday and a flood operation centre has been set up to monitor train
operations and other flood-related matters.
The number of people evacuated due to Malaysia's worst-ever
floods jumped to more than 160,000 on Saturday, as Prime Minister Najib Razak
reached the worst-hit state after cutting short a vacation in the US.
On Saturday, Najib announced an additional 500 million
ringgit will be spent to aid victim.
Source: Agency
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