Woman Finds Herself Trapped In Luggage Compartment Of Coach As It Drives To JB, Calls For Help Couldn't Be Heard

Last week, a Malaysian woman was travelling home to Johor Bahru from Kuala Lumpur via coach when she experienced every claustrophobe’s greatest nightmare.

In a Xiao Hong Shu post titled “I was trapped in the baggage compartment of a bus”, the 20-year-old, known as Yupin on IG, recounted the entire incident, detailing how she got caught in the horrifying situation.

She had arrived in JB on a coach operated by SC Southern Express, which left KL at 12.45pm that day.

Describing it as the “most terrifying time in her life”, she wrote: “It was raining heavily that evening, and my luggage got pushed all the way to the back [of the baggage compartment]. I had another bag with me, and the door closed behind me as I climbed in to retrieve my luggage.”

She initially believed that the bus attendant would notice that she was missing and come to her assistance, but then she heard the doors close. No one could hear her even as she used all her strength to bang the door of the compartment.

“Nobody would understand how I felt at that moment. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone either. It was really scary,” she added.

Yupin removed her mask, afraid that she would run out of oxygen now that she was trapped in a confined space. She then recalled she had received a booking confirmation for her ride on Whatsapp earlier that day, and quickly called the number.

Her call was answered by a female operator, who did not seem to understand what she was saying. She then told Yupin she would return her call before hanging up on her.

“I waited for two minutes before sending another message, but no one read it,” recounted Yupin.

Her messages to them read “help” and “cannot breathe”.

She continued: “The bus moved and stopped intermittently. When it stopped, I was left wondering if they were already notified that I was trapped inside and if they were going to open the door for me. But they were really slow… At that point, I began to feel faint, but I held on as I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up if I passed out.”

She then called the same number again. The call was answered by the same operator as before, who then handed the phone to another female staff member. Yupin noted that said staff spoke to her rudely, asking her loudly where she was, and how she ended up in the baggage compartment.

“I’m really mad thinking about it now,” she wrote.

Yupin was trapped in the compartment for around 10 minutes after she first called for assistance.

She was finally let out when the coach parked at a bus stop and when she got out, a group of passengers stared at her, stunned.

“The bus driver came over, smiling as she told me about how she thought I had already taken my bag and left. She did not apologise at all! I was really on the verge of tears,” added Yupin.

She then waited for her boyfriend to pick her up from the bus stop. He would later reach out to the coach operator to inform them about the incident.

A representative from the company apologised for “the inconvenience and distress” experienced by Yupin in their reply. They also said that they had spoken to the driver, who claimed that she did not see Yupin retrieving her luggage due to the heavy rain.

The representative had also taken the “necessary action” to deal with the driver and staff for neglecting to inform them about the incident. 

“We are taking immediate steps to ensure this does not happen again,” they wrote, before apologising for the mishap again.

Although Yupin felt “extremely terrified and helpless” while being trapped, she was thankful that her phone still had a signal, allowing her to call for help.

“Thankfully there were still other people’s luggage in the compartment, and we weren’t at the last stop. Thankfully, I’m still alive,” she wrote.

Many netizens sympathised with Yupin’s situation, with a number urging her to make a police report.