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 1am, the bus overturned, causing me to be thrown out of the window and into a drain.
"The situation at that time was very chaotic...and 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 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 3am 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 police headquarters.
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.
– Bernama
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
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Prison guards foil drone drug delivery attempt in Bandung
JAKARTA: Indonesian prison officials have foiled a brazen attempt to smuggle methamphetamine into a Bandung facility using a drone. The incident occurred in broad daylight on Sunday at the Class IIA Narcotics Prison in Bandung, West Java, prison authorities said in a statement. Prison's security unit head Muhammad Nurzaman said guards on duty spotted a drone flying over the inmate housing block before it dropped a package inside the facility. "Officers quickly secured the package and prevented an inmate, believed to be linked to the smuggling attempt, from retrieving it," he added. A preliminary examination revealed two packets of methamphetamine weighing a total of 25 grammes. The suspected inmate and the seized drugs were handed over to narcotics police in Bandung for further investigation. "This incident shows that smuggling methods are no longer conventional. They now involve technology such as drones," Muhammad said. The attempt is part of a growing trend in Indonesia, where criminal networks are increasingly turning to drones to bypass tight prison security. Similar incidents were reported at Sragen Prison in 2023 and at Nusa Kambangan, the country's highest-security facility, as early as 2019, both located in Central Java. – BERNAMA
