The following is an extract of a news item published by The Star on Wednesday, 11 April 2007.

Boy killed as vehicle lands in ravine

KUALA LUMPUR: A five-year-old boy was killed while three of his family members were seriously injured when the four-wheel drive vehicle they were travelling in plunged 50m from a flyover along the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE).

In the 4.30pm incident yesterday, the boy’s father, in his 40s, was believed to have lost control of his vehicle in the rain. The vehicle crashed into a side railing and landed in a ravine. The wreckage was found near the Desa Park City construction site located in Bandar Menjalara, Kepong.

Bukit Aman’s Chief Inspector Shaifulizan Sulaiman said the boy died on the spot while the injured were taken to Sungai Buloh Hospital.

The accident caused traffic congestion for about an hour.

Now, the above incident clearly indicates how important higher and stronger railings are required on bridges and flyover. The incident above happened on a 50-meter high flyover that carries the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) between Bukit Lanjan and Jalan Duta across Kepong and Segambut Dalam. I wonder what would happen if the mishap occurred on the same stretch of NKVE on another flyover crossing above the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) in Penchala, near the toll plaza. Unlucky road users on the LDP will definitely be casualties too if it had happened there.

The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) should look into this matter, to compel all expressway concessionaires to erect higher and stronger side railings on all bridges and flyovers, particularly those that crosses another major expressway or road beneath it.

As expected, the government has declared Wednesday, 2 May as a public holiday as both Wesak Day and Labor Day coincide on Tuesday, 1 May. Why didn’t the government use their discretion to declare Monday, 30 April as the replacement holiday instead? By having Monday, 30 April as a public holiday, everyone will be getting a long weekend from Sunday to Tuesday. Looks like many people will apply leave on Monday instead to have an extended holiday.

On Tuesday, I attended the Disney on Ice: Finding Nemo with a bunch of friends at Putra Stadium, National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. The show started at 8.30pm with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofey in the opening before bringing us into the story of Finding Nemo. It’s fun, although a bit weird to see how these fishes and sea creatures are being presented by ice skaters, you know, you see these fishes with legs!

So, the show is basically based on the animation Finding Nemo. It so happened I missed the movie some years back when it was shown in cinemas, so I basically do not know what the story is about and what is the ending. That keeps an excitement in me to follow the story line as though as I am watching a movie in cinema. And the show ended at 10.30pm with all the characters performing a final dance, together with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofey.

I also took some photos in the stadium. You may view them in J Gallery under the album Disney on Ice: Finding Nemo.