Seven people in a tour bus were killed in a crash at dawn today, yet again at the infamous Jelapang Toll Plaza of the North-South Expressway, near Ipoh, the scene of more than 140 road fatalities since its opening in September 1987, claiming 142 lives.
The bus ferrying a Kuala Kedah Wanita Umno delegation on a holiday to Cameron Highlands crashed into the rear of a latex-laden tanker at the toll plaza at 4am, killing the driver, his assistant and five passengers.
Twenty-eight passengers were injured, four of them seriously, and were treated at the Ipoh Hospital. Twenty were warded while eight were given outpatient treatment.
Firemen had to use the emergency exit at the rear of the bus to rescue trapped passengers and remove the bodies.Ipoh Fire and Rescue department spokesman Supt Nazri Zakaria said his men found two bodies lying outside the bus.
"The passengers were trapped in-between the bus seats which had been dislodged and sent crashing to the front portion of the bus."They were lying on top of each another. There was panic all around as they were in shock and trauma," he said.
The two bodies, that of a man and a woman, were stuck at the tyre portion.Police identified the bus driver as Lim Teh Lee, 49, and co-driver, Saad Salleh, 45.
The passengers killed were Siti Rosedah Ibrahim, 46, Puteh binti Mat Isa, Mohamad Hussin, 50, his 15-year-old daughter Nur Shuhadah and Dahara Mohamad, 58.The four victims with serious head and body injuries were Che Som Yusoff, 51, Halijah Hanafiah, 52, Sipah Sulaiman, (age not given) and a man who has yet to be identified.The other victims were Fatihah Shafie, 14, Zurina Nayan, 47, Mohd Aminuddin Ramli, 20, Fatimah Rojaan, 40, Hakis, 8, Hasiah Lebai Cha, 53, Rohani Hashim, 56, Umi Kalsom Wan Dollah, 16, Mohd Shukri Hasin, 8, Haminah Nikmat, 56, Nurfazilah Abdullah, 14, Mohd Muhsi Ahmad, 11, Faridah Mohd Nor 44, Nurhashimah Mohd, 18, Shamshum Ishak , 52.Mastura Izzati Mat Isa, 17, Shahhasliza Hussein, 22, Habibah Yaakub, 33, Yom Wahab, 52, Assariza Derani, 38, Siti Aishah Saidin, 17, Normah Hanafi and two women who had yet to be identified.The unidentified tanker driver was unhurt in the mishap.
One of the passengers, Haminah Nikmat, said the bus was travelling at high speed downhill after emerging from the Menora tunnel towards the Jelapang toll plaza a few kilometres away."After passing the tunnel the bus was travelling very fast downhill.
When it approached the toll plaza someone in front suddenly shouted that the brakes were not working. I was seated somewhere in the middle.
After the bus crashed into the lorry, the front part and my seat were close to the roof of the bus," she said.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu expressed sadness over the tragedy which occurred just months before the toll plaza is relocated.
The toll plaza's relocation, about one kilometre away from the present site, is expected to be completed by middle of next year, he told reporters after visiting the scene with Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali.
The toll plaza, located at a foothill, has been the site of several fatal accidents, prompting the government's decision to relocate it for motorists' safety.
"We expect the spate of fatal accidents at the Jelapang Toll Plaza to be a thing of the past by middle of next year when the plaza is demolished," said Samy Vellu.
In Alor Star, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid has ordered Kuala Kedah Umno to make funeral arrangements for the dead and assistance to the victims' families.
Family members had claimed the bodies for burial.According to Kampung Kubang Jawi Village Development and Security Committee chairman the bodies of Nur Shuhadah and her father, Mohamad, Siti Rosedah and Puteh will be buried at the Kampung Kubang Jawi muslim cemetery tonight.
Co-driver Saad will be buried at his hometown in Permatang Pauh, Penang, while Daharah will be laid to rest at the Lorong Mayat muslim cemetery in Kuala Kedah.Lim's body will be handed over to his family in Pekan Air Hitam, near Alor Star.
The bus ferrying a Kuala Kedah Wanita Umno delegation on a holiday to Cameron Highlands crashed into the rear of a latex-laden tanker at the toll plaza at 4am, killing the driver, his assistant and five passengers.
Twenty-eight passengers were injured, four of them seriously, and were treated at the Ipoh Hospital. Twenty were warded while eight were given outpatient treatment.
Firemen had to use the emergency exit at the rear of the bus to rescue trapped passengers and remove the bodies.Ipoh Fire and Rescue department spokesman Supt Nazri Zakaria said his men found two bodies lying outside the bus.
"The passengers were trapped in-between the bus seats which had been dislodged and sent crashing to the front portion of the bus."They were lying on top of each another. There was panic all around as they were in shock and trauma," he said.
The two bodies, that of a man and a woman, were stuck at the tyre portion.Police identified the bus driver as Lim Teh Lee, 49, and co-driver, Saad Salleh, 45.
The passengers killed were Siti Rosedah Ibrahim, 46, Puteh binti Mat Isa, Mohamad Hussin, 50, his 15-year-old daughter Nur Shuhadah and Dahara Mohamad, 58.The four victims with serious head and body injuries were Che Som Yusoff, 51, Halijah Hanafiah, 52, Sipah Sulaiman, (age not given) and a man who has yet to be identified.The other victims were Fatihah Shafie, 14, Zurina Nayan, 47, Mohd Aminuddin Ramli, 20, Fatimah Rojaan, 40, Hakis, 8, Hasiah Lebai Cha, 53, Rohani Hashim, 56, Umi Kalsom Wan Dollah, 16, Mohd Shukri Hasin, 8, Haminah Nikmat, 56, Nurfazilah Abdullah, 14, Mohd Muhsi Ahmad, 11, Faridah Mohd Nor 44, Nurhashimah Mohd, 18, Shamshum Ishak , 52.Mastura Izzati Mat Isa, 17, Shahhasliza Hussein, 22, Habibah Yaakub, 33, Yom Wahab, 52, Assariza Derani, 38, Siti Aishah Saidin, 17, Normah Hanafi and two women who had yet to be identified.The unidentified tanker driver was unhurt in the mishap.
One of the passengers, Haminah Nikmat, said the bus was travelling at high speed downhill after emerging from the Menora tunnel towards the Jelapang toll plaza a few kilometres away."After passing the tunnel the bus was travelling very fast downhill.
When it approached the toll plaza someone in front suddenly shouted that the brakes were not working. I was seated somewhere in the middle.
After the bus crashed into the lorry, the front part and my seat were close to the roof of the bus," she said.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu expressed sadness over the tragedy which occurred just months before the toll plaza is relocated.
The toll plaza's relocation, about one kilometre away from the present site, is expected to be completed by middle of next year, he told reporters after visiting the scene with Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali.
The toll plaza, located at a foothill, has been the site of several fatal accidents, prompting the government's decision to relocate it for motorists' safety.
"We expect the spate of fatal accidents at the Jelapang Toll Plaza to be a thing of the past by middle of next year when the plaza is demolished," said Samy Vellu.
In Alor Star, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid has ordered Kuala Kedah Umno to make funeral arrangements for the dead and assistance to the victims' families.
Family members had claimed the bodies for burial.According to Kampung Kubang Jawi Village Development and Security Committee chairman the bodies of Nur Shuhadah and her father, Mohamad, Siti Rosedah and Puteh will be buried at the Kampung Kubang Jawi muslim cemetery tonight.
Co-driver Saad will be buried at his hometown in Permatang Pauh, Penang, while Daharah will be laid to rest at the Lorong Mayat muslim cemetery in Kuala Kedah.Lim's body will be handed over to his family in Pekan Air Hitam, near Alor Star.
