APM officer recounts 'dark moment' of UPSI bus crash
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sinar Daily
6 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
7 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.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
UPSI bus crash: MAIDAM channels RM49,500 in aid to families and victims
JERTIH: The Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIDAM) has channelled RM49,500 in aid to the families and students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) who were affected by the tragic road accident on the East-West Highway (JRTB) near Tasik Banding in Gerik, Perak, on Monday. MAIDAM chief executive officer Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Azrin Adnan said the families of the 15 students who perished will each receive RM1,500, while the 27 injured students will each receive RM1,000. 'This assistance is hoped to ease their burden, as the majority of the students involved come from families who are recipients of MAIDAM's aid for the poor and needy. 'In addition, our visit today is also to gather information on any further assistance the families may require,' he told reporters after presenting the contribution to Maslan Abdul Rahman, 58, the father of Nor Ayuni, 21, who died in the accident, at their home in Felda Tenang, here. Ahmad Azrin said 13 of the students who perished were from families receiving aid under MAIDAM's hardcore poor and poor (asnaf fakir and miskin) categories. 'Of the 27 injured students, 13 are also from zakat-recipient families under the same categories. Meanwhile, 16 of the students involved in the crash were recipients of MAIDAM's Higher Education Early Assistance,' he said. On Monday, 15 UPSI students were killed when a chartered bus carrying them from Jertih to the main UPSI campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak, overturned in an accident involving a Perodua Alza on the JRTB. The accident also left 33 others injured, including the bus driver and co-driver, as well as the driver and three passengers of the Perodua Alza.
