A routine Singapore\u2013Kuala Lumpur coach journey turned chaotic after sparks were seen appearing from a ceiling vent on a Starmart Express bus, sending passengers into a panic amid fears of a fire.<\/p>\n
A 30-second video of the incident, filmed on Dec 5, shows a ceiling vent glowing as sparks fall near seated passengers.<\/p>\n
Some passengers can be seen standing up in alarm, while others remain seated, using their phone torches to light up the dimly lit bus.<\/p>\n
In the clip, one passenger is heard repeatedly shouting at the driver in an expletive-laden outburst: “Hey, stop the bus! F***ing stop the bus! Open the gate, open the f***ing gate!”<\/p>\n
Others soon join in, shouting “fire, fire” and urging the driver to stop the vehicle.<\/p>\n
However, the bus does not stop immediately. At one point, a voice can be heard saying “it is highway”, suggesting that it may not have been safe to stop the bus and allow passengers to disembark at that stretch of road.<\/p>\n
Posted on Dec 18 by @thesgdaily, the clip has since garnered more than 324,200 views, 6,200 reactions and 345 comments.<\/p>\n
Later in the video, a photo shows a bus bearing the name KS Global Holidays, a Malaysia-registered travel agency. Its licence plate also indicates that the vehicle is registered in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
However, it is unclear whether this was the same bus involved in the incident.<\/p>\n
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<\/picture>The video also shows an invoice for a service travelling from Singapore to Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, operated by Starmart Express AirAsia Liner, which departed Singapore on Dec 5 at 11.32pm.<\/p>\n
Again, it remains unclear whether this invoice corresponds to the bus involved in the incident.<\/p>\n
‘Open the gate? What gate?’: Netizen<\/h3>\n
Some netizens were quick to poke fun at what appeared to be a slip of the tongue, after the passenger was heard shouting for the driver to “open the gate” instead of the door.<\/p>\n
“Panic already, want to say door become gate,” one user commented, while another joked “There’s two gates, bus gate and hell gate. Which gate?”<\/p>\n
Others took a more serious view, saying the fear was “absolutely understandable” given how quickly fires can spread in enclosed spaces.<\/p>\n
Some directed criticism at the driver, questioning why the bus did not stop sooner.<\/p>\n
“Sorry, bus is on auto drive mode. Driver may not be responding,” joked a user, while another asked bluntly: “Why take so long to stop the bus?”<\/p>\n
Still others raised concerns about onboard safety measures, asking: “Why no fire extinguisher? Emergency exit? Break glass?”<\/p>\n
“Hopefully everyone safe and sound,” one wrote.<\/p>\n
There was also speculation about the cause of the sparks, with some suggesting a faulty power bank, while others believed it could have been due to overheating components, as the sparks appeared to come from the ceiling.<\/p>\n
“That is why i will always take flight to KL, the drivers and the bus are not reliable,” one user remarked.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, another quipped: “Coincidentally, there’s an option to travel using the express train that recently started.”<\/p>\n
Stomp has reached out to KS Global Holidays and Starmart Express for comment.<\/p>\n
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