IPOH • A cargo train slipped off the track near the Perak capital of Ipoh early yesterday, disrupting rail services on the north and south line on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and stranding thousands of angry commuters.

Twenty-five empty cement wagons and two locomotive heads fell off the tracks near Kampung Bakap in Perak in the 3.40am incident, with no explanation so far on what led to the accident.

The driver and his assistant were the only people on the Malayan Railways (KTM) train, with both sustaining minor injuries, police said, as reported by The Star newspaper.

The carriages were from Selangor and heading north to Tasek in Perak to load up with cement.

The derailed carriages blocked the two rail tracks on the route.

Workers were yesterday trying to remove the derailed wagons from the tracks, said Batu Gajah district police head Mohd Nasri Omar.

Passengers using the popular electric train service linking Ipoh and Kampar towns were ferried by bus, KTM said in a statement yesterday. The train operator said passengers could request a refund of their tickets, as the tracks were expected to reopen again only tomorrow.

KTM Berhad head of corporate communications Ridhwan Arshad was quoted by the New Straits Times newspaper as saying 12,000 commuters were affected.