Photos on social media showed traffic jams around the tank as army officials and police tried to divert cars around it. The tank was towed by a recovery vehicle 30 minutes later and repairs were made, the military said. Less than 24 hours later, an armored primary vehicle — used primarily to tow heavy weapons — crashed on a busy street outside the National Museum in the heart of the capital. Videos taken at the scene showed a line of military vehicles behind the first vehicle. Curious drivers were also seen slowing down to take a look at the unusual scene. An engineering team completed the repair work by 12:30 a.m. local time Sunday, the military said. The vehicle then continued its journey to Dataran Merdeka, or Independence Square, where Malaysia’s Independence Day celebrations will be held on August 31. Both vehicles were taking part in rehearsals for the parade, the army said. “The army apologizes for the two incidents and will ensure that this does not happen again,” the army statement said. “But if it happens again, a recovery team on standby will be dispatched to the site as soon as possible to tow the affected vehicle in order to avoid traffic congestion.” Photos of the mangled vehicles drew ridicule from Malaysians online. Many found humor in the situation, while some on Twitter criticized the military for what they claimed was poor maintenance of the vehicles. “Singapore needs tanks to defend its roads. Malaysian roads can beat tanks,” Malaysian standup comedian Jason Leong said on Twitter. “A tank broke in the middle of the highway (Malaysia),” wrote another Twitter user. “If Malaysia goes to war, we would be Russia.”
