One killed in crash with train, boom gate not functioning properly

KOTA KINABALU - One man was killed after the car he was in collided with a train at the rail crossing near Petagas War Memorial here.

Daniel Shafwan Omar, 21, succumbed to his injuries several hours after the accident yesterday.

He was travelling with his friend Mohd Amir Khairi Abdul Ghani, 20, in a vehicle heading to Jalan Kepa­yan from the war memorial when tragedy struck.

“Mohd Amir Khairi is still in a coma,” said Kota Kinabalu deputy police chief Supt George Rakhman.

He said the boom gate at the rail crossing was not activated and both men were appa­rently unaware of the oncoming train.

“The train ploughed into the vehicle and dragged it for 100m with the victims inside the car. It was raining heavily then,” he said.

According to him, the two men worked with a domestic airline.

Supt George advised the public to exercise caution while approaching a rail crossing, whether or not a boom gate was present.

A trader in the area claimed that the boom gate had not been functioning properly.