KUALA LUMPUR: A 56-year-old retiree and his wife had a narrow escape when they got caught in rising floodwaters on the southern approach to the Smart Tunnel here. 

The man, who only wanted to be known as Peter, said he was heading to Cheras from Sungai Besi at about 4.15 Tuesday but ended up on the road to the tunnel. 

"As I drove down a slope, I saw a pool of water. I decided to drive through it. I only realised the water was quite high when I was already in the pool and my car came to a halt," he said when contacted. 

Within two minutes, he said the water started rising halfway up the car door.  

"At this stage, we panicked and decided to abandon the car. We pushed the door open and quickly ran to higher ground," he said. 

He said several officials from the Smart Tunnel arrived at the scene to help him after he contacted them. 

After about 30 minutes, the rain slowed to a drizzle and the water subsided. His car was later towed to a workshop with the help of the SMART officials. 

When contacted, SMART public relations officer Wan Azhar Wan Yeop said the flash flood at the southern approaches to the tunnel was caused by an adjacent monsoon drain which overflowed. 

"The tunnel itself was not affected and continued to operate as usual," he said. 

He said the approach roads from Sungai Besi and the East-West Link had to be closed between 4.15pm and 5pm because of rising waters. 

On Peter's case, Wan Azhar said a team from the tunnel responded to his call for help and towed his car to a mechanic