[UPDATED] Gerik UPSI crash: Tour bus was travelling at almost twice the speed limit

New Straits Times

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: The tour bus involved in the fatal crash in Gerik that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students last month was estimated to have been travelling at 117kph, nearly twice the posted speed limit.
According to a preliminary report released today by the Transport Ministry, the speed limit for this route is 60kph.
The report stated that dashcam footage and physical evidence at the scene showed the bus skidded before overturning, indicating that the vehicle was moving at a speed that exceeded the critical limit for skidding and likely surpassed the critical speed for overturning as well.
"The bus's minimum speed at the time of the incident is estimated to have exceeded 111.3kph, which is the minimum speed at which an overturn could occur given the road's curvature.
"From the visual analysis, the estimated average speed of the bus during the incident was 117.6kph.
"Margin of error (due to video resolution limitations): ±16.8kph. Therefore, the actual speed range is estimated to be between 111.3kph and 134.4kph," the report said.
The report also revealed that a section of the guardrail had penetrated the bus body, causing injuries and fatalities among the passengers.
Meanwhile, investigations revealed that seat belts were only installed at the driver's seat, with none provided for the passenger seats or the second driver's seat.
"The vehicle was fitted with 44 passenger seats, one second driver's seat, and one main driver's seat. However, one of the seats was dislodged from its original position, although six seats on the left side, as well as the second driver's seat, sustained damage due to the impact of the crash," it said.
It added that a visual inspection found the physical components of the steering system to be in good condition.
However, the report said the functionality of the steering system could not be tested as the vehicle was not in a suitable condition for dynamic testing.
It said the impact had caused several W-beam rails to penetrate the body of the bus, causing severe damage to the bus roof structure and pillars, and severely injuring passengers.
"The impact also caused the bus roof to come off and several passengers were thrown out. The collision with the barrier also caused the bus to spin counter-clockwise as it fell to the left," the report said.
On June 9, a tour bus carrying 42 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students from Jerteh, Terengganu, to Tanjung Malim, Perak, was involved in a collision with a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) along the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik. Fifteen students were killed in the crash.
On June 11, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said all permits held by the tour bus company involved in the fatal crash had been revoked with immediate effect following multiple breaches of permit conditions.