UPSI student recounts harrowing bus crash that killed 15

New Straits Times

a day ago

GERIK: Wan Muhammad Hanifah Wan Azman, a 22-year-old fourth-semester Animation Design student at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), described how a routine journey home after the Hari Raya Aidiladha break turned into a nightmare.
The Jerteh, Terengganu native boarded a chartered bus bound for campus at around 9pm yesterday, a trip he had made many times before.
He recalled being awake when the crash occurred, noticing a strange burning smell moments before disaster struck.
"The journey was fine until I suddenly smelled something like burnt rubber or brakes. The bus then sped up and swerved to avoid a car ahead before flipping over," said Wan Muhammad Hanifah, seated three rows from the back.
In the immediate chaos, he heard screams and the driver shouting just before impact.
"It all happened so fast. One moment we were on the road, the next everything went black. When I opened my eyes, people were crying and calling for help. Bodies lay everywhere — some bleeding, some motionless," he added.
Despite his shock, Wan Muhammad Hanifah managed to pull himself from the wreckage.
"I was lucky to still stand. I helped lift two students — a boy and a girl — from the bus. They had broken bones but were alive," he said.
He described a scene of confusion and heartbreak, with many survivors injured and unable to escape. Strangers in passing vehicles stopped to help — some praying by the roadside, others offering water and comfort.
"This experience will stay with me forever. We just wanted to get back to campus. Some of us never will," he said solemnly.
Wan Muhammad Hanifah expressed deep gratitude to rescue teams, hospital staff, and the public who rushed to assist.
Bandaged hands resting on his lap, he said that he had been discharged from Gerik Hospital, with a friend's father assisting with the paperwork.
He informed his parents he had only suffered bruises, reassuring them there was no need to come to the hospital.