PETALING JAYA — A video of a building’s glass windows shattering during yesterday’s thunderstorm in Kuala Lumpur has set many social media users on edge.
The six-second clip was filmed at the Akademi Etiqa building on Jalan Melaka and shows a group of people scurrying into the lobby for shelter from the heavy rain and strong winds outside.
A few seconds later, a loud sound is heard coming from the glass windows by the ATM and the panes came crashing down shortly after.
A group of women were seen fleeing to safety as gusts of wind began to flood into the lobby.
Twitter user @jayyidkhairir, whose wife works in the building, shared the video on his page and said he was thankful that she wasn’t there at the time.
“The glass windows at my wife’s office building suddenly shattered. Luckily, she wasn’t there when it was time to go home,” he wrote.
Bangunan etiqa masjid jamek pic.twitter.com/d92Mu5w67S
— ♬ ┐Jayyidkhairir┌ ♬ツ (@jayyidkhairir) April 13, 2021
He shared some photos taken later by his wife which showed a scene of disarray with glass strewn across the floor and the curtain blinds tangled together.
He also tweeted new pictures this morning showing that the glass had been cleaned up and that the curtain blinds were being used as a temporary fix to cover the windows.
In a Facebook update posted shortly after the incident, Etiqa stated that no injuries were reported and that business will go on as usual.
“We would like to confirm that due to heavy downpour and strong winds this evening, the Akademi Etiqa building located at Jalan Melaka in the Kuala Lumpur city centre has suffered some damage.
“Thankfully, there are no injuries reported and our branch is open tomorrow for business as usual,” said Etiqa.
The incident has sparked conversations about the need to prevent climate change from bringing more extreme weather like the thunderstorm seen in the video.
Others also expressed concerns over the possibility that the glass shattered due to the use of poor quality materials by contractors.