PUBLISHED ONJune 10, 2025 3:39 AMByLim KeweiSeveral university students who survived a deadly bus accident which killed 15 of their schoolmates have claimed the vehicle was speeding before it crashed in Gerik, Perak, after midnight on June 9.
Nur Irdina Huri, 22, an undergraduate at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), said she noticed a burning smell as the vehicle journeyed along a downhill route, reported media outlet The Star.
Prayers were heard in the bus as it swerved erratically, she claimed.
The bus, carrying 42 UPSI students on board, had rear-ended a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in front before overturning and colliding with a road barrier at about 1am.
The accident claimed the lives of 15 students and injured 27 other students.
The bus driver and attendant, as well as the four people travelling in the MPV also sustained injuries.
Another UPSI student, Aleeya Maisarah Azizzani, also complained about the smell of burning rubber to Malaysian media and similarly claimed that the vehicle had been speeding.
"I started to feel uneasy when the bus hit a puddle and tilted slightly to the right. My heart began to race. I was awake by then, and the bus was going so fast that I had to hold on," the New Straits Times reported her as saying.
"When we reached a bend, I saw from the back that the bus was falling to the left and hit the road barrier," she said.
Aleeya said she was thrown against the vehicle's interior and left in great pain. She sustained a head injury and a sprained foot.
A third survivor, Farhana Ab Aziz, recalled hearing the driver mumbling angrily before he started to speed, according to The Star.
She said the bus started swaying shortly afterwards before it turned turtle.
In viral dashcam footage taken by another vehicle, the bus is seen attempting to overtake another car before toppling to the side.
Perak police chief Noor Hisam Noordi said the footage could serve as evidence and help clarify details, including the bus's speed and road conditions at the time of the accident, according to NST.
"It's clear that everyone can see how the bus was speeding, and to make things worse, the railing penetrated the bus body directly from the front," he reportedly said.
"That's why the passengers on the left side of the bus were the ones who died, as it went straight into the passenger seats.
"Most of the injured passengers sustained injuries to their left shoulders after being thrown from the right side to the left when the bus overturned."
Photos of the wrecked bus circulating online show the bus roof torn off and its front end destroyed.
Bus driver Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle has said that the brakes had suddenly stopped working, leading to the crash, reported NST on June 10.
"I tried everything I could but without air pressure, nothing worked. The handbrake was unresponsive, and I couldn't even shift gears," he was quoted as saying.
Amirul told the media from his hospital bed that he had swerved past at least four other vehicles to avoid a collision.
"The last vehicle I overtook had a dashcam. I wasn't speeding, I was trying to avoid crashing into other cars. But the road was winding, and I had no control left," he said.
The driver also explained he had shouted to warn the students, most of whom were asleep, which may have led to some thinking he was shouting in anger.
He estimated driving more than one kilometre with failed brakes.
"I did all I could to prevent the worst," he reportedly said while holding back tears. "I know the Jeli-Gerik route well — I wasn't speeding, especially since we were going downhill."
Amirul said he has never been involved in any other traffic accidents and feels an "overwhelming sense of guilt".
"I wish to apologise to the families of the victims and to the students involved in the crash."
He is currently awaiting surgery for his fractured arm.
Perak police chief Noor Hisam said earlier that they would wait for the driver to be discharged from hospital before taking further action.
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lim.kewei@asiaone.com
