UPSI student bus crashes with MPV on East-West Highway in Gerik, at least 15 dead; PM instructs Higher Education Ministry to coordinate aid
IPOH, June 9 — At least 15 people were killed in an accident involving a bus carrying students from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) and a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle on the East-West Highway in Banun, Gerik this morning.
The Hulu Perak operations control centre of the Civil Defence Force (APM) received an emergency call from Gerik Hospital regarding the collision at 1.10 am, national news agency Bernama reported.
The APM confirmed in a statement that 48 people were involved in the crash, with 13 pronounced dead at the scene.
Two more were reported to have died in the hospital.
Four others sustained injuries.
The bus was reported to have been travelling from Jertih in Terengganu, to Tanjung Malim in Perak.
First responders providing emergency treatment to several people injured in the UPSI bus-MPV collision on the East-West Highway in Banun, Gerik on June 9, 2025. — Bernama pic
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of all the victims in the crash.
'I have instructed the Ministry of Higher Education to coordinate appropriate assistance for the families of the victims,' he said in an immediate Facebook post.
'Such heartbreaking tragedies, which happen all too often, should serve as a lesson to everyone to always be cautious and never rush in pursuit of a destination.
'Your lives are far too precious and irreplaceable,' he added.
In a separate Facebook post, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said his ministry will provide all necessary assistance to those involved in the crash.
He extended his condolences to the families of the victims and said further information will be updated in due course.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
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 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.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
UPSI crash survivor flung from bus, body landed 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.
