14-05-2025
Home minister says 1997 FRU truck was roadworthy, rules out maintenance failure in deadly Teluk Intan crash
IPOH, May 14 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has today confirmed that the truck carrying Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel, which was involved in an accident along Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam, Teluk Intan yesterday, was deemed roadworthy.
Saifuddin said that despite the truck's age, its maintenance records were in good standing.
'Although the truck was manufactured in 1997, there were no issues with its maintenance history, which confirms that it is roadworthy,' he told reporters.
He made the statement after visiting the family of Damarrulan Abdul Latif — one of the nine FRU members who tragically lost their lives in the accident — at the FRU quarters in Sungai Senam here.
Saifuddin also noted that it is still too early to determine whether the accident was caused by human error of the lorry driver.
Yesterday, Hilir Perak police chief Assistant Commissioner Bakri Zainal Abidin had said preliminary investigations suggested that a steering wheel failure was believed to have caused the accident.
He further stated that the Home Ministry is fully committed to prioritising the maintenance and upgrading of all assets — not just for the police, but for all agencies under its jurisdiction.
When asked about enhancing safety features in such vehicles, including the installation of seat belts, Saifuddin said the issue is complex.
'We need to understand that this is a combat vehicle. It has its pros and cons. When deployed on a mission, every second counts. In an emergency, even one or two seconds spent unbuckling a seat belt could compromise the quality of the mission.
'These are technical matters best left to the experts. However, I can assure you that we remain committed to upgrading our assets,' he said.
The minister also said that counsellors have been appointed to assist the affected families as they cope with trauma and grief, helping them to heal and move forward.
'We will also expedite the group insurance claims for all affected personnel. The process is expected to be completed within two weeks at most.
'This demonstrates our collective commitment to supporting the affected families,' he added.
Nine members of the force were killed, while two others sustained injuries, when a lorry carrying gravel collided with an FRU truck transporting 15 personnel yesterday.
