Tourist Trapped After Langkawi SkyCab Broke Down Says It Was An "Unforgettable" Experience
The Langkawi SkyCab cable car system malfunctioned yesterday leaving more than 1,000 tourists and staff stranded for several hours.
By Tang Ruxyn — 19 Feb 2018, 11:40 AM
More than 1,000 tourists and staff were left stranded at the peak of Mount Machinchang after the Langkawi SkyCab malfunctioned yesterday, 18 February
The Langkawi SkyCab, also known as The Langkawi Cable Car, broke down due to a faulty bearing system at about 5.48pm.
The incident saw more than 80 people trapped inside stalled cable cars that hung in mid-air for a couple of hours until they were rescued with the help of the Fire and Rescue Department.
It was learned that the service was disrupted for about five hours until Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd, the operator of the Langkawi SkyCab cable car system, fixed the faulty system just before 11pm.
Bernama reported today, 19 February, that a total of 1,048 tourists and 78 staff of the cable car company from the 708-metre Mount Machinchang were safely brought down from the summit to the base station in stages between 9pm last night to just after 12am today.
One of the tourists who were trapped on the peak of Mount Machinchang was Muhammad Hariz Jaamat Wok
Speaking to Harian Metro, Muhammad Hariz said that he had to resort to drinking tap water because he was too thirsty and there was no drinking water.
"The weather up on the mountain was so cold to the point that some had to use plastic trash to warm themselves up. There were young children who cried because it was too cold and some also fainted," he said.
Muhammad Hariz, who will be returning to Kajang today, said that he was stranded on the summit for nearly six hours and only managed to get to the base station at about 11pm after the cable car system was working again.
"It's an experience that I will never forget until the end of time."
According to Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) chief executive officer, Datuk Azizan Noordin, a passenger who had fainted had regained consciousness before being brought to the Langkawi Hospital for observation
"The rest were okay but tired, while some appeared to be a bit traumatic after being stranded inside a stalled cable car and hanging few hundred metres high for a couple of hours, but we are doing our best to comfort them and provide the necessary assistances," Azizan was quoted as saying in a Bernama report yesterday.
Following the incident, the cable car operations would be halted for one day today to enable maintenance and service works to be carried out.
A thorough investigation and post-mortem will be also carried out to find out the details leading to the system failure
Although a faulty bearing was identified as the reason for the system failure yesterday, Azizan, who is also Panorama Langkawi board member, said that further investigation will be conducted to ensure that such an incident will not be repeated in the future.
Azizan reportedly said that tourists were given due assistance once they arrived at the base station yesterday, as they were food and drinks, and cold towels for them to be refreshed.
He added that the two police buses were arranged by Langkawi OCPD, ACP Che Ghazali Che Awang, to transport the victims to their respective accommodation.
Tourists who had missed their flights due to the incident were provided with additional night accommodation and the authorities were also helping with their flight arrangements.