Thousands of workers at The Exchange 106 tower in Kuala Lumpur had to walk down 106 floors as a power outage hit Malaysia.
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Hundreds of employees walk down 100 floors after elevators stopped working at The Exchange 106 in Malaysia on the afternoon of Oct. 15, 2025. Photo from Facebook/Brian Lee |
The blackout on Oct. 15 affected several areas in Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur and nearby cities. National utility company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) said the incident was caused by a lightning strike at a coastal power plant in Melaka City.
Videos circulating on social media showed staff coming down the country’s fourth tallest building (at 445 meters), according to U.K. online newspaper Independent. Some used flashlights as they made their way down.
The clips sparked a wave of lighthearted discussion online. “Sudden weight loss time. If the power comes back on when we reach the ground floor, I’ll cry,” a comment read.
“Still want to be an advanced country?” another user joked.
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A general view of TheExchange106in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 23, 2019. Photo by Reuters |
The media reported that major malls including Mid Valley Megamall and Pavilion Damansara Heights were left in total darkness.
Traffic stalled in parts of Kuala Lumpur as traffic lights stopped working.
TNB said on Facebook “We appreciate your patience and regret any inconvenience caused,” and that technical teams were deployed to restore electricity in stages, Singaporean newspaper The Strait Times said.
It later reported that full power was restored at 5:54 p.m.
The Exchange 106 is the 23rd tallest building in the world.
