Remand order for UPSI bus driver pending hospital discharge
IPOH: The remand order for the driver of the bus carrying Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, which resulted in a fatal crash claiming 15 lives, will be issued once he is discharged from hospital.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the driver is currently receiving treatment at Taiping Hospital.
"We will have to wait for him to be discharged before any further action is taken," he said.
During a press conference on Monday (June 9), Comm Noor Hisam stated that the driver suffered injuries to his hand.
He added that a statement has yet to be recorded from the driver.
The crash occurred between 12.30am and 1am on Monday, when a chartered bus travelling from Jertih to Tanjung Malim overturned after colliding with a Perodua Alza on the East-West Highway near Gerik.
The crash also left 33 others injured, including the bus driver, his assistant, and the driver and three passengers of the MPV.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
24 minutes ago
- The Star
Gerik bus crash: 'I'm sorry, the brakes stopped working' says driver.
PETALING JAYA: Lying on a hospital bed, Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle's voice cracked as he tearfully apologised. "I'm so sorry to all the students and families involved. The brakes suddenly stopped working," said the 39-year-old bus driver, according to Sinar Harian. His words carried the weight of the tragic deaths of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students when the chartered bus he was driving from Jertih to Tanjung Malim overturned after colliding with a Perodua Alza on the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik between 12.30am and 1am on Monday (June 9). The accident had also left 31 others injured, including Amirul, his assistant, and the driver and three passengers of the MPV. Amirul said he did not know how to face the victims' families. "If there are parties who want to take legal action, what else can I say? I tried various things, but because the air (for the air brakes) was empty, everything stopped working, including the handbrake, and the gear couldn't be changed. "I tried to avoid other vehicles, and as far as I can remember, I avoided four vehicles, including a lorry, before the accident," he said. Amirul, who has been driving buses since 2016, is currently being treated at Taiping Hospital. He said he had tried his best to prevent the situation from getting worse. "Because the accident happened on a bend, I couldn't do anything. I shouted to the students to be ready and be alert as soon as I realised the brakes were not working. "The students sitting at the front heard my instructions, but those in the back were mostly asleep. Maybe the screaming made them think I was angry. "I wasn't going as fast as claimed by many because I am familiar with the Jeli-Gerik route, especially the downhill section where it happened," he said while holding back tears. He said the accident caused him to lose consciousness for a moment before waking back up and calling to the students to get out through the broken windshield of the bus. Amirul said he crawled out of the bus and broke down in tears when he saw the condition of the students. "This is the first time I have been involved in an accident that has claimed a life, and as bus driver of course, I feel guilty," said the man from Besut, Terengganu.
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Safety, improvement of East-West Highway to be brought to cabinet
GEORGE TOWN: The Transport Ministry will raise safety issues and discuss immediate measures that can be taken to improve the East-West Highway (JRTB) at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow. Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said his ministry would also work with several other ministries to investigate and take immediate steps for improvements on the route, due to bus tragedy that claimed 15 lives yesterday. 'In terms of road safety (including at JRTB), we are taking it seriously and we need to work together with various other ministries, and I will raise the matter in the Cabinet Meeting tomorrow morning so that we can see what immediate steps can be taken to improve it. 'In particular, the safety issue at JRTB is something that is of concern to us, the first of which is not only the roadblocks but also in terms of the road conditions and also the lack of street lights at night,' he told reporters after opening CruiseWorld Malaysia 2025 here today. Yesterday, the nation was shocked by the accident that claimed the lives of 15 students of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) when a chartered bus from Jertih, Terengganu to Tanjung Malim, Perak overturned after being involved in an accident with a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on Jalan Raya Timur-Barat near Tasik Banding, Gerik. Regarding the condition of the road infrastructure on the route involved in the accident, especially regarding the iron roadblocks which are said to be quite old, he said The government has taken note of the roadblock and lighting aspects, so the Ministry of Transport will install solar street lights to overcome the lighting problem at night on the route. ''In terms of specifications and further actions regarding roadblocks, that is under the Ministry of Works, but the road safety aspect requires cooperation between various ministries,'' he said. Commenting further, Loke said he himself would visit the accident site involving a bus carrying UPSI students on Thursday with the relevant parties to assess the situation and the need for immediate action personally. He said the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and the Road Transport Department (RTD) were conducting a detailed investigation into the accident while the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had issued a show cause letter to the bus company involved, in addition to requesting Global Positioning System (GPS) records to determine whether the bus was speeding during the incident. ''When an accident occurs, the police will conduct a detailed investigation in terms of criminal elements, while the RTD will look at technical matters and also a safety audit of the company and that is what we did yesterday at the location incident. ''We need various information, especially the RTD report and also the GPS record of the bus. We want to know whether it was speeding or not, we will also conduct an audit of the company including the background of the bus driver,'' he said. Loke also explained that his ministry refused to draw any early conclusions and left it entirely to the police and RTD to complete the investigation in detail and fairly.
New Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Two UPSI students stable after fatal bus crash in Gerik
IPOH: Two Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students who were rushed to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) during the fatal bus crashed that killed 15 people in Gerak early yesterday are being treated for head injuries. HRPB director Dr Saiful Azlan Sharif said Lili Suzana Mat Yaakob, 23, and Nor Erika Elysha Mohd Zaidi, 21, are under close monitoring at the hospital. "Regarding the condition of the two accident victims, both are stable and currently receiving treatment in regular wards. They are being treated in separate wards, depending on the nature of their injuries. "Initially, we observed more significant head injuries in both students. "However, following further checks and assessments , we found that their injuries were not as serious as initially thought," he told reporters at the hospital today. He said Lili Suzana suffered head injuries but remained conscious and was not in critical condition. "Her injuries are more severe in the head area, but alhamdulillah, she is conscious, which means she is not in critical condition. Both of them are conscious. "As for the other student, Nor Erika, her injuries are more related to fractures, specifically a fracture in her arm. "As such, they are being treated by different specialist teams based on the nature of their respective injuries," he said. He added that treatment would be administered in stages, prioritising immediate concerns, especially those involving infection risk. "The treatment plan will be guided by the experts' evaluation," he said. When asked if there had been any requests from family members to transfer the patients to Terengganu Hospital, he said he was not aware of any. "That, we are not sure of yet. InsyaAllah, we will discuss it based on the patients' treatment needs," he said. It was reported that 15 UPSI students were killed in an accident involving a student bus and a Perodua Alza at Km53 of the East-West Highway early yesterday. The bus was travelling from Jerteh to the university's main campus in Tanjung Malim.
