
However, the reports said Malaysian passport holders were able to use the autogates without any problem.
The Star reported immigration department director-general Zakaria Shaaban as saying the department was looking into the matter.
“We are currently troubleshooting the system,” Zakaria was quoted as saying.
The Straits Times said the breakdown, which was believed to have started at about noon on Friday, had been described as the worst ever, involving more than 200 autogates nationwide.
Among the major gateways affected are KLIA’s Terminal 1 and 2, the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar customs, immigration and quarantine (BSI) complex and the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ.
BSI and the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ are both in Johor Bahru.
The Star also quoted a security official as saying it was still unknown as to what caused the failure, and investigations were being carried out to check if there was any element of sabotage or hacking.
According to the official, tens of thousands of people, mainly Singaporeans, had been queuing at BSI for more than four hours to clear immigration.