Task force to probe crash that killed 9 FRU men, says Loke
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the special task force will first investigate the cause of the accident.
PUTRAJAYA : The transport ministry will form a special task force to investigate the tragic accident in Teluk Intan that claimed the lives of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel earlier today.
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the task force would comprise government and independent experts who would advise the transport ministry on the next course of action.
'The special task force will investigate the cause of the accident and identify proposals to improve road safety aspects,' he said, adding that the police were investigating the crash.
Loke said this at a press conference, which was also attended by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The 8.40am crash, which left two more FRU officers critically injured, occurred when a gravel-laden lorry collided with a FRU truck transporting personnel who were returning from a security deployment in Ipoh.
While the cause is still under investigation, preliminary findings suggest that the lorry may have suffered a steering failure. The driver has since been arrested.
Zahid said while the preliminary findings suggested a steering issue, the accident could have been prevented if the vehicle had undergone a Puspakom inspection.
'We are not placing the blame solely on the driver but on the (transport) company as well.'
Separately, Loke revealed that the Cabinet committee on road safety had agreed to ask the finance ministry to channel 50% of the revenue collected from traffic summonses issued by the Road Transport Department back to the transport ministry.
The funds, he said, would be used to support road safety initiatives, such as installing street lighting.
Commenting on the recent death of a baby elephant after it collided with a lorry, Loke said that the transport ministry had implemented several measures to protect wildlife and road users.
'For instance, the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project includes mitigation measures such as dedicated wildlife crossings,' he said.
On Sunday, a lorry hit the calf when it ran onto the road from the forest on the left side of the East-West Highway. The incident caught the attention of social media users who posted videos of the mother elephant, which they said had patiently waited until daybreak for its baby to be removed from under the lorry.
Earlier today, natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said connecting wildlife habitats, especially those of elephants, through ecological corridors was among the long-term measures that could be implemented to deal with human-wildlife conflict.
He added that elephant corridors could be established near habitats, including in plantation areas, on private land, and in forested areas.
Nik Nazmi said oil palm plantation companies would need to work together to create a network of mini corridors within their respective plantations.
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