KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Malaysian Army has apologised to motorists in capital Kuala Lumpur after a tank and another armoured vehicle broke down on the roads over a span of two days.

"The army apologises for the two incidents and will ensure that this does not happen again. But should it recur, a standby recovery team will be dispatched to the location as quickly as possible to tow the stricken vehicle away in order to avoid traffic jams," the army said in a statement on Saturday (Aug 27).

It said that at 10.30am on Friday, a PT-91M Pendekar tank had just completed its exercises for the 65th Independence Day parade rehearsals when it encountered engine problems at a highway near Parliament. It was on its way back to the Sungai Besi camp.

A recovery vehicle was dispatched 30 minutes later to tow it to the National Museum carpark for repairs to be carried out.

The second incident involving a prime mover occurred at 11.26am on Saturday along Jalan Damansara in front of the National Museum.

A team of mechanics was dispatched to the location, and repair work was completed by 12.30pm for the vehicle to continue its journey.

A total of 129 of the army's vehicular assets were involved in the parade rehearsals.