[Watch] Lightning Strike Forces TRX Workers Down 100 Flights Of Stairs In Darkness

The incident, recorded in videos that spread widely online, happened when lightning hit the 2,242MW Edra Melaka Power Plant during thunderstorms, cutting more than 10% of the country’s electricity supply and affecting major shopping centres and office buildings across the area.

Fernando Fong/Arthur Toh

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A lightning strike hit Malaysia’s tallest building recently, causing a power outage that forced hundreds of office workers at The Exchange TRX to walk down the stairs from their floors.

The evacuation was recorded in videos that went viral online, showing long lines of employees slowly making their way down the building’s stairwells.

The power outage happened when lightning struck the country’s largest gas power plant during afternoon thunderstorms, cutting electricity to major parts of Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

Workers on the upper floors of the 492-meter building had to walk down the stairs because the elevators weren’t working, and some had to go down more than 100 flights to reach the ground floor.

@cyberjayaviral Total level trx 106 memang merana siapa yang nak turun tangga dari atas 😭 Credit / Sumber: Thread @Amira Syazwana #trx #klblackout ♬ original sound – Sumud Nusantara

When the Lights Went Out

The chaos began at 4:12 PM when lightning struck the massive 2,242MW Edra Melaka Power Plant during heavy thunderstorms, causing an automatic shutdown that knocked out over 10% of Peninsular Malaysia’s electricity supply in one hit.

The blackout affected more than just TRX – it cut power to major shopping centres like Mid Valley Megamall and Pavilion Damansara Heights, causing widespread disruption across the Klang Valley not seen since a similar multi-state outage three years ago.

While Tenaga Nasional restored power from the Melaka plant by 5:54 PM, TRX remained without electricity until 7:11 PM, forcing workers to walk down the dark stairwells for hours.

The viral footage of TRX workers walking down the stairs showed hundreds of office employees moving slowly, step by step, in a long line down the building’s stairwells, appearing to be in a never-ending descent.

By the time power was restored and TRX posted a Facebook statement about the “temporary disruption,” videos of the stair evacuation had already spread widely online.

Many commented on the unusual sight of office workers having to walk down so many flights of stairs.

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