Gerik crash: Initial probe reveals bus hit MPV's rear
The police's initial investigations have revealed that the fatal bus accident, which claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi) students, occurred when the bus hit the rear of the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), believed to be a Perodua Alza, before overturning.
Perak police chief Noor Hisam Nordin said the bus was carrying 42 Upsi students, eight men and 32 women, aged between 21 and 23, all from the east coast.
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New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Bus crash site among key highway sections set for upgrades this year
KUALA LUMPUR: The site of the tragic accident, which claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, yesterday, has been identified as one of the key sections of the East-West Highway (JRTB) slated for upgrading, with RM55 million allocated for improvements this year. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that since 2023, various initiatives have been undertaken to enhance the Gerik-Jeli route, particularly along the FT04 federal road. In June 2023, an allocation of RM30 million was approved for the reconstruction of sections of the JRTB, he said. Two months later, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an additional RM30 million to further upgrade the route. "This allocation has been utilised to upgrade and maintain several critical sections of FT04," he said, in a Facebook post. He said that ongoing works include road resurfacing, and the repair of facilities, bridges, street lights, and traffic lights along both directions of the route. Nanta said that all upgrading works on FT04 were completed in phases between July and August 2023, with a total cost of RM55.73 million, based on road damage assessments conducted through the pavement condition assessment (PCA). He said that, in 2024, RM7.2 million had been allocated for various repair works at several other sections of the route. Nanta said that, while the police investigation into the tragic accident early yesterday morning is still ongoing, he has received various reactions regarding the road conditions, which have gone viral on social media. "As I have emphasised before, the ministry remains fully committed to ensuring that road infrastructure is safe and comfortable for all users. "At the same time, I must stress that road safety is a shared responsibility, including that of road users themselves," he said. Yesterday's tragic incident involved a chartered bus carrying UPSI students from Jertih, Terengganu, to their campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak. The bus overturned following a collision at KM53 of JRTB, near Tasik Banding, Gerik, claiming the lives of 15 students. The crash also left 33 others injured, including the bus driver, his assistant, and three passengers of the Perodua Alza.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Gerik bus crash: APM officer recounts darkest moment in 18-year career
IPOH: The crash at Kilometre 53 of the East-West Highway in Gerik, which claimed 15 lives early yesterday morning, marked a dark moment in the 18-year career of Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) officer, Muhammad Yusuf Nuruddin. Initially unaware of the severity of the tragedy, involving a chartered bus and a Perodua Alza, near Tasik Banding, the APM officer, from Hulu Perak, believed it was just a routine accident without any casualties. When he and three other personnel of Hulu Perak APM - Mohd Zamri Taib, 47, Muhammad Isma Aliff Mohd Asri, 24, and Muhammad Mainun Azim Azman, 28 - were informed that the crash had resulted in 15 fatalities, they were momentarily stunned. 'I recall bus-related incidents before - one overturned and another veered off the road, but none involved any fatalities. This time, it was different, and it's something I will never forget. 'I didn't even get to see the condition of the deceased victims because my priority was to provide immediate aid. We handed over the deceased to the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) and the Ministry of Health (MOH),' he told Bernama, still visibly affected by the incident. Asked to elaborate, Muhammad Yusuf, 38, said that the APM team arrived at the crash site about an hour after receiving the emergency call. Upon arrival, the JBPM and MOH teams were already on-site conducting rescue operations. The area was pitch-black, forcing rescuers to rely on vehicle headlights for visibility. In the dim light, they noticed several injured victims sitting by the roadside. 'At that time, the atmosphere was eerily quiet and completely dark. There were no sounds from the victims. Only the rescuers' voices giving instructions could be heard. Perhaps the victims were still in shock,' he said. During the rescue operation, Muhammad Yusuf and his team worked fast to provide initial aid to the victims, including those with serious injuries like broken limbs or internal bleeding. He remembered seeing a victim with a serious head injury. An initial assessment revealed no visible fractures, so rescuers provided immediate treatment before transporting the victim to hospital. 'Then we transported another victim with a broken arm to the Gerik Hospital, while ambulances from MOH and JBPM ferried others. 'During the journey to the hospital, one victim suffered internal bleeding and vomited blood twice. We suctioned the blood to prevent suffocation and ensure it did not obstruct the victim's breathing,' he said. In addition to the 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students who lost their lives, the accident also resulted in injuries to 33 other individuals, including the bus driver, his assistant, and three passengers from a Perodua Alza.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Gerik crash: Survivor recounts being thrown out, body landing on him
GERIK: The tragic accident at KM53 of the East-West Highway (JRTB), near Tasik Banding, Gerik, that claimed the lives of 15 students from the Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) must have left a traumatic impact on the survivors. One such survivor, Abdul Wafiy Kamarudin, 23, when sharing the harrowing moments with Bernama, said the accident had such a strong impact so much so he was flung out of the bus, and most terrifyingly, a victim's body landed on him. Abdul Wafiy, a sixth-semester student pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Art Education, said he was looking at his mobile phone in the dimness of the night but could feel the bus was on moving quickly as it descended a winding, hilly road. The bus driver stopped briefly to check the vehicle's brakes before continuing the journey, and suddenly at around 1 am, the bus overturned, causing me to be thrown out of the window and into a drain. 'The situation at that time was very I was shocked to find a body on top of me. I was forced to push it off me to save myself,' he said when met while collecting his personal belongings at the Gerik district police headquarters (IPD) here today. However, the youngest among six siblings from Kampung Pak Kancil, Setiu in Terengganu is grateful because he only suffered minor injuries to his hands and face. Meanwhile, Mohd Zaki Ismail, the father to victim Rohadatul Aisy, 21, said his daughter contacted him at about 3 am to say that she had been involved in an accident. 'At that time, she (Rohadatul Aisy) said she was unable to move due to pain in both her neck and waist but a friend had helped carry her out of the bus. 'I immediately left Kampung Gong Badang, Besut in Terengganu at 8 am and arrived at the Gerik Hospital to learn that my daughter suffered a fractured hip,' he said. He also said that Rohadatul is receiving further treatment at the Besut Hospital, while he and his wife, Norliza Ghazali, are waiting to retrieve their child's personal belongings from the Gerik IPD. In the early morning incident yesterday, 15 UPSI students died when a chartered bus from Jertih to Tanjung Malim overturned after colliding with a Perodua Alza at JRTB near Tasik Banding. The accident also resulted in 33 others being injured, including the bus driver and conductor, as well as the driver and three passengers of the multi-purpose vehicle.
