Mid Valley Southkey Mall In JB Evacuated Due To Security Threat Conveyed Via Anonymous Phone Call
Singaporeans who like to hop across the border to Johor Bahru (JB) might be familiar with a cavernous mall called Mid Valley Southkey.
However, those who visited on Saturday (14 Oct) might have wished they hadn’t, as they would’ve been caught up in a scary situation.
That’s because the mall was evacuated that evening due to a “security threat”.
Source: Arif E. on X
Thankfully, the police have since declared the premises safe.
Mid Valley Southkey evacuated as ‘proactive measure’
In a Facebook post on Saturday (14 Oct), Mid Valley Southkey confirmed that they had received a report of a “security threat”.
Source: The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey on Facebook
It was conveyed by an anonymous phone call, they said.
They informed the police and the Johor Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA) immediately, and were told to evacuate the mall and adjoining St. Giles hotel “as a proactive measure”.
Investigations were ongoing, they added.
9,000 shoppers evacuated from Mid Valley Southkey
As a result, about 9,000 shoppers were evacuated from the premises, reported Malaysia’s China Press, quoting the JB police.
Source: XiaoHongShu via 8world News on Facebook
Besides shoppers, there were also 892 hotel guests and some 5,000 cars parked in the building, JB southern district police chief Raub Selamat said.
Photos posted on social media showed hordes of people leaving the mall.
Source: Arif E. on X
Police and BOMBA vehicles also arrived, with officers seen milling about.
Source: Arif E. on X
Scores of people were eventually forced to wait in the open-air carpark to retrieve their cars from the building.
Source: Mohd Redzuan Abdul Manap on X
Some shoppers told of bomb threat
Many shoppers were initially under the impression there was a gas leak, an eyewitness told The Malay Mail.
However, some were later told that the evacuation was due to a bomb threat.
In an unverified online comment, a screenshot of which is circulating over social media, a person said the threat was received by a receptionist at the North Entrance, and the caller was a foreigner who claimed there were bombs in the building.
Source: X
S’poreans advised to exercise caution
Unsurprisingly, Singaporeans were seen among the crowd too, China Press reported.
That’s probably why the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Consulate-General in JB posted on Facebook at 8pm, saying they were aware of the incident.
Source: Singapore High Commission in KL and Consulate-General in JB on Facebook
They advised Singaporeans in the area to exercise caution, monitor the local news, and heed the instructions of the local authorities.
Premises declared safe at 12.15am
Finally, at about 10pm, Mid Valley Southkey replied to a comment on their Facebook post, saying that drivers could retrieve their cars.
Source: The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey on Facebook
Perhaps that was a sign that the situation had improved.
At 12.30am on Sunday, the mall put out another Facebook post sharing the news that no evidence of threats had been found.
Source: The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey on Facebook
This was after a thorough search of the area by the police and BOMBA.
Thus, the police chief declared the premises safe at 12.15am.
Tenants, employees, guests and shoppers may henceforth enter the building again.
While it’s good that the security threat turned out to be a false alarm, hopefully the authorities will find the culprit behind it who ruined the weekends of many people.
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Featured image adapted from Arif E. on X.