Gerik crash: Remains of UPSI students leave Ipoh hospital
IPOH: The bodies of 13 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students have left Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) for their respective hometowns in Jerteh, Terengganu.
They left the hospital compound at about 8.55pm and will be taken to Hadhari Mosque in Jerteh for funeral prayers.
It is learnt that Hadhari Mosque was also where the students gathered before boarding the bus at about 9pm yesterday.
The journey is expected to take about five and a half hours before they reach the mosque.
Families and friends gathered at the hospital to send off their loved ones.
The convoy would be accompanied by a police escort to ensure the bodies arrive safely and on time.
They will travel along the route from Ipoh — Kuala Kangsar — Gerik — Jeli — Tanah Merah — Machang — Jerteh.
Some of the students were from Kampung Gong Bayor, Kampung Rahmat Chalok, Kampung Gong Duek Besut, Kampung Padang Luas, Kampung Paya Rawa, Kampung Pasir Badak and Kampung Amer.
It was reported that 15 UPSI students were killed in a tragic accident involving a UPSI student bus and a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) at KM53 of the East-West Highway (Jalan Raya Timur Barat) this morning.
The bus was travelling from Jerteh to the university's main campus in Tanjung Malim.
Post-mortem for two bodies was conducted at Gerik Hospital, where those injured in the crash are also being treated.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
School told to prepare report on teacher's remarks on UPSI bus crash
Perak executive councillor for education Khairudin Abu Hanipah said the district education office contacted the school's principal, and a counsellor was sent to instruct the teacher to remove the post. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Perak education department has directed a secondary school to submit a full report over a teacher's social media post about the bus crash that killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students. State executive councillor for education Khairudin Abu Hanipah said an initial investigation confirmed that the teacher, whose remarks in a Facebook post sparked outrage online, is employed at the school. 'As an educator, I deeply regret the actions of this individual, who made inappropriate remarks regarding the tragic incident involving the UPSI students,' Bernama quoted him as saying. The post, made under the name 'Khalid Yunus', claimed the students had 'died in disgrace' and were 'not among the faithful' because they allegedly owed money to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN). Khairudin said the district education office contacted the school's principal immediately after the post went viral, and a counsellor was sent to request the teacher to remove the content. A check at 8.10pm yesterday confirmed that the post had been deleted, he said. The teacher has since apologised publicly, claiming that he suffered from schizophrenia. The fatal crash occurred early Monday morning at Km53 of the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik, when the students' bus overturned.
Sinar Daily
5 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Gerik crash: Bus operator's permit revoked
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the company, based in Kedah, was also found to have leased its permit to a third party in Kelantan for RM500 a month. 11 Jun 2025 09:48pm Loke said preliminary investigations also revealed that the bus operator had failed to activate the vehicle's Global Positioning System (GPS). - Bernama photo KUALA LUMPUR - The permit of the bus operator involved in a crash that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students on Monday has been revoked with immediate effect. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the company, based in Kedah, was also found to have leased its permit to a third party in Kelantan for RM500 a month. Loke said preliminary investigations also revealed that the bus operator had failed to activate the vehicle's Global Positioning System (GPS). - Bernama photo "The leasing agreement violated the permit conditions. "I have instructed the Land Public Transport Agency to revoke the company's permit immediately upon expiry of the show-cause letter period,' he told a press conference at Angkasapuri today, which was also attended by Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi. The tragedy occurred early Monday morning when the bus carrying UPSI students overturned at KM 53 on the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik, Perak. The crash also left 33 people injured, including the bus driver and co-pilot, as well as the driver and three passengers of a Perodua Alza, which was involved in the incident. Loke said preliminary investigations also revealed that the bus operator had failed to activate the vehicle's Global Positioning System (GPS). "When we requested the GPS report, the company failed to provide it, as the system had not been activated. This is a serious breach. "As such, the bus operator's permit or operating licence has been revoked with no right to appeal,' he said. On the bus driver's claim that the crash was caused by brake failure, Loke said a full forensic investigation would be conducted. "Dashcam footage clearly shows the bus overtaking at high speed before veering off the road. The driver's claim will be reviewed to assist police in further action,' he added. - BERNAMA
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Why these endless road tragedies?
It has happened again, just as road safety experts had warned. Fifteen lives were lost on Monday in a collision between a tour bus ferrying Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students and a Perodua Alza multipurpose vehicle on the East-West Highway in Gerik, Perak. Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has decreed improvements to law enforcement. The authorities must follow the royal decree to the letter to avoid such tragedies. The mangled remains of what was once a tour bus are not just a tragic image of the past; they might be images of many futures if the authorities keep doing the same thing. We are told that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) is conducting a safety inspection, and an audit on the express bus and its operator. Let's be blunt: this is after the fact. For sure, such audits will arm the authorities with evidence to make every individual, from the operator to the driver, accountable should they be found to have broken any laws. But conducting an audit is one thing, and acting on the findings is another. Just like discovering that the tour bus had 21 traffic summonses and the driver 18 and still allowing both to be on the road. From Aug 13, 2007, to Nov 5, 2022, there have been seven major bus crashes that claimed 124 lives. Were audits conducted on these buses and their operators? If so, how many operators have been charged in court or had their businesses suspended? With tragedies like this happening with troubling frequency, the people have the right to know. But JPJ must not stop at the audit of the tour bus and its operator. It is time for JPJ to go on a nationwide inspection and audit of all heavy vehicles and their operators. Transport Minister Anthony Loke has told the media that the tour bus had no seat belts for passengers. To discover this after a tragedy is a tragedy itself. Had an audit been done, the bus operator could have been compelled to install seat belts even though the bus was built before the seat-belt law came into force. There shouldn't be an exception for passenger buses. The minister also told the press that dashboard cameras and speed limiters are in the process of being made mandatory. The "in the process" is troubling, to say the least. We have heard this before from a former transport minister. Nothing happened. But what happened were tragedies after tragedies. Operators will resist, because more trips mean more profits. If the aim is to save lives, then the authorities must throw the statute book at them. The fear appears to be that such devices can easily be disabled by the operators as the owners of lorries are already doing it to speed limiters and Global Positioning System. But that should not be a reason for not installing the devices. The law is there; just haul the operators to court. Operators who allow their heavy vehicles to turn into killer machines must be put out of business. Period.
