The collision of two light rail transit (LRT) trains in Kuala Lumpur in an underground tunnel was due to the driver of one of the trains heading in the wrong direction, Malaysia's Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong was quoted as saying, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT) and The Star.

Speaking at a press conference, Wee said that preliminary investigations had revealed human error was to blame for the accident on the evening of May 24, which left 47 people seriously injured, and the remaining 166 passengers with minor injuries.

There were no passengers on the train that had been heading in the wrong direction, he added.

Train driver failed to follow correct 'orientation'

In elaborating on the investigations carried by Malaysia's Land Public Transport Agency, Wee said that the driver of the empty train, also known as train 40, had failed to follow the correct "orientation."

The train was initially being driven automatically in a southbound direction, from Kampung Baru station towards Dang Wangi station, during a test.

However, a technical issue meant that the train had to be driven manually, with the driver subsequently taking the train in a northbound direction.

At the same time, train 81, which was carrying 213 passengers, left the KLCC station for Kampung Baru, after it received information that train 40 had departed from Kampung Baru for Dang Wangi.

The trains then collided.

Cabinet Paper to be prepared by Transport Minister over collision

FMT further quoted Wee as highlighting that a Cabinet Paper would be prepared by the Transport Ministry on the collision, encompassing the preliminary report, casualties and a long-term plan for improvement, among other details.

Earlier in the morning of May 25, Wee told the media that a special investigation task force will be formed to probe the accident, with two weeks to complete their investigation.

The collision is the worst accident in the train service's history since it started operations in 1996.

Top image from Wee Ka Siong Facebook