Kota Kinabalu: A 44-year-old man was injured in a fall while dashing clear of an out-of- control car that smashed into KKIA’s Departure Hall Two, Friday.
The man was believed to be heading to Kuala Lumpur.
The car, a Proton X70, was driven by a 67-year-old woman.
The impact of the crash sent glass shattering loudly across the hall.
She had earlier dropped off her nephew and son, a lawyer, at the airport to check in their flights, then drove the vehicle around the vicinity before returning to the same spot, intending to stop and hand over the wheel to her son so he could take over driving.
Instead of braking, she accidentally stepped on the accelerator, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.
The car struck a Perodua Alza before crashing through the glass panel doors of Gate 2.
The driver of the Alza, in his 50s, had been waiting at the scene for a friend who had just been dropped off.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Chan Foong Hin, who happened to have just arrived at the airport, said the KKIA management took swift action to clean up the affected area and ensure passenger movement was not disrupted.
“Thank you to the KKIA management and all personnel for their efficient and prompt action in handling this incident,” he said via a post on his social media page.
He added that the situation at KKIA has now returned to normal operations as other automatic doors are fully functional without disrupting public movement.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports said operations at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) were not affected following the incident at the Departure Level 3 kerbside of Terminal 1.
The airport operator said Aviation Security and Customer Service personnel responded immediately to the 4.19pm incident and requested medical assistance for the injured driver, who was subsequently transported to hospital by ambulance.
“The affected area has since been cleared, with the damaged vehicle and debris removed by 6.00 pm, while repair works to the affected entrance doors are currently underway,” Malaysia Airports said in a statement tonight.
It added that the matter has been referred to the Royal Malaysia Police for investigation and the operator is extending full cooperation to the relevant authorities.
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