KUALA LUMPUR: Heavy rain which battered the Klang Valley on Sunday evening caused widespread flash flooding – including in the basement carpark of the IKEA Cheras shopping centre at Jalan Cochrane, here.
The incident, which began at about 6.30pm, left a number of customers stranded for several hours, while others had to wade to and from their vehicles in 0.1 metre-deep water.
According to IKEA Malaysia, the flooding was caused by its drainage system being impacted by construction beyond its property. It apologised to all customers for the incident on its official Facebook page, last night.
It is believed that a team of workers managed to pump out much of the water several hours later.
Meanwhile, the Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call on the incident at 6.45pm.
According to Operations commander Mohamad Shukri Abidin, five personnel in one fire machine were sent to the scene.
After assessing the situation, it was determined that no danger was posed to the public, and the firefighters deferred to the shopping centre’s crew to continue the water removal operation, he added.
Images and videos of the incident taken by customers at IKEA Cheras have gone viral on social media.