Two Singaporean women were among 14 people who died yesterday, police said when a bus stopped suddenly 6 meters from the north-south freeway near Johor Bahru.
Another 16, including six other Singaporeans, were injured in the accident, which occurred around 4 am.
The police told the Sunday Times that six men and seven women and one girl were among those killed on Christmas Eve.
The two dead Singaporeans were Ms. Au Poi Kiew and Ms. Hamimah Mamo.
No other details are available immediately.
Although Azuma Ayub said that the bus is likely to be out of control in its drivers, has been speeding, the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
“Some survivors are seriously injured, and we can not interview them,” Asman said.
The inspection revealed that there was no indication that the Alisan Gold Coach was braking on the 150-meter lawn of the highway, which the police said did not attempt to slow down before the bus fell off the motorway.
By bus From Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur.
All the dead and wounded were taken to the Sultanah Fatimah Hospital in Muar.
At least four survivors were discharged.
The six wounded Singaporeans included a woman.
Seven Malaysians, two from Myanmar, and one other person’s nationality have not yet been confirmed.
Johor Fire & Rescue Department received a distress signal at about 4 am. Its deputy director Mohd Yusof Mohd Gunnos said the roads were in good condition and did not rain.
Ahmad Fahmi Khairuddin, 19, claimed that the bus was speeding before seeing it “flying from the highway” against the concrete wall below.
Mr. Ahmad Fahmi played a board game with three friends at his home at 3:25 am, about 100 meters from the accident.
“The sound was three times the tire explosion, and I heard screaming help from my friends and I helped carry whatever the victim could move,” he told Bernama news agency.
One of the men who died was Nor Saidatul Akmal Idris, 21, who will be married on Jan. 29, the Malaysian daily Berita Harian reported.
Bernama also reported that Myanmar national Ralza Uk’s plan to celebrate Christmas in Kuala Lumpur was broken after his face and arm injuries.
“When the bus dropped, I felt it floating, but I was still in my seat, and suddenly, I felt pain in the body and could not move,” the 25-year-old said.
In response to the accident, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros), called on the government to set up a transportation safety board as an independent government investigative agency for civil transportation accidents.
The setting up of a board was a key recommendation set out by an advisory panel following a bus crash in Genting Highlands in 2013 that killed 37 people.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement: “We are saddened by the tragic bus accident. The Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Baru is in close contact with the Johor authorities. Our consul-general and MFA officers are at the hospital in Muar to assist affected Singaporeans and their next of kin.”
shannont@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on December 25, 2016.
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