STORY TO BE TOLD

Camerons crash: Family relieved to know 'dead' mother now in ICU
By P.ARUNA

Published: Tuesday December 21, 2010 MYT 12:59:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday December 21, 2010 MYT 1:09:19 PM

IPOH: One family's worst nightmare took a surprising twist when they were informed that their mother, initally listed as among those killed in the Cameron Highlands bus tragedy, was actually alive albeit in critical condition.

Anusorn Sukhumalsakul, 40, had arrived at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here late on Monday after receiving news of the 'death' of his 59-year-old mother, Darunee Songserm, and to claim the remains.

But all his grief turned to relief when he was told that Darunee was alive but critically ill in the intensive care unit.

"It feels like my mother has been given a second chance to live," he said at the hospital Tuesday.

Due to difficulties in identifying the victims due to the injuries, the hospital had added Darunee's name to the list of those who died.

The authorities informed the family as soon as the hospital could not determine Darunee's identity.

Darunee suffered serious injuries to her head and chest in Monday's bus accident in Cameron Highlands.

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Pemandu baru 3 bulan kendali bas

KANGAR: Pemandu bas, Omar Shahidan yang terbunuh bersama sebahagian besar pelancong Thailand, di Kilometer 15 Jalan Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai semalam baru tiga bulan memandu bas dua tingkat yang baru dibeli pemiliknya.

Sepupunya, Julie Mahmud, 33, berkata beliau difahamkan Omar yang pernah menjadi pemandu lori pernah membawa keluarganya menaiki bas itu bersiar-siar di sekitar Perlis.

Seorang rakan Omar yang bertugas di syarikat pengangkutan sama berkata, pula berkata, beliau tidak pasti sama ada Omar atau pembantu pemandu yang baru bertugas memandu bas ketika kejadian.

“Omar adalah pemandu berpengalaman dan kerap diarah memandu bas membawa pelancong, terutama dari Thailand ke Malaysia. Bagaimanapun, saya mengesyaki bas itu dipandu pembantu pemandu ketika menuruni laluan berbukit di Cameron Highlands,” katanya.

Julie juga berkata, sepupunya itu sempat membawa isteri dan tiga anaknya melancong di Hatyai, Selatan Thailand, pada Jumaat lalu dan sejurus pulang, dia diarahkan pemilik syarikat, memandu bas dari Thailand ke Cameron Highlands pada Sabtu lalu.

Beliau dimaklumkan isterinya, Puspalela Ramli, 45, yang arwah akan pulang ke rumah esok dan bercadang melancong lagi ke Thailand sejurus selesai kerjanya.

“Saya tidak menyangka lawatan ke Hatyai bersama isteri dan tiga anak adalah yang terakhir bagi arwah,” katanya yang menetap berhampiran rumah Omar ketika ditemui di Behor Empiang, dekat sini petang semalam.
Beliau berkata, semua keluarga Omar, termasuk di sebelah mentuanya bergegas ke Hospital Ipoh sejurus dimaklumkan kemalangan pada jam 4.30 petang semalam.

“Mereka hanya mendapatkan pengesahan berhubung kematian Omar daripada pemilik syarikat bas berkenaan kira-kira jam 3.30 petang.

“Sebelum itu, keluarga di sini, masih samar-samar berhubung kemalangan selepas melihat berita terkini di televisyen kira-kira jam 1 tengahari,” katanya.

Tinjauan Berita Harian mendapati keluarga terdekat Omar sedang membuat persiapan menerima jenazahnya yang dijangka tiba awal pagi ini.

Turut maut dalam nahas berkenaan, pemandu pelancong, Soontorn a/l Kian, 38 tahun.

Julie berkata, sebelum itu, anak sulung Omar, Siti Nazirah, 20, yang sedang berkerja di sebuah pasar raya di sini, menghubungi Puspalela untuk mengetahui mengenai kemalangan yang menimpa ayahnya.

“Nazirah sudah dihubungi rakannya iaitu anak kepada rakan ayahnya yang bertugas sebagai pemandu yang memaklumkan kemalangan terbabit. Saya dan Pusparela dua kali menghubungi arwah menerusi dua telefon bimbit tetapi tidak dijawab walaupun ada nada dering selepas dimaklumkan kejadian itu. Dari situ, kami sudah mengesyaki sesuatu buruk berlaku," katanya.


KRONOLOGI

Nahas bas pada 2010

Eerie silence at hospital mortuary

IPOH: An eerie atmosphere hung over the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital mortuary here as the bodies were brought in by two vehicles.

At 2.35pm, a police truck arrived with nine, followed by a Civil Defence Department truck with 12 bodies some 90 minutes later.

Those present at the mortuary fell silent as the black body bags were brought down from the vehicles.

Grim police, hospital and funeral parlour representatives helped to wheel the bodies into the mortuary.

Hospital staff also promptly began with post-mortem work.

As the day progressed, the remains of those who had survived the crash but died at the hospital, were brought to the mortuary.

“Never have we received so many bodies in a single day,” said a mortuary staff.

As at 8.30pm, the mortuary was still crowded with people as post-mortems continued.

Tourism Ministry officials were at hand to help the victims’ families.

Expressing his sadness over the tragedy after visiting the injured at the hospital, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the state crisis response team would be investigating the accident.

He added that the state would also look into the possibility of getting accommodation for families of the victims.

He said Thai Embassy minister counsellor Somphong Kang Thong had informed him that the families would be flying in from Bangkok today.

More news on: http://thestar.com.my/

Docs scramble to treat survivors

IPOH: Doctors and nurses at the emergency ward of the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here scrambled to save lives after the horrific bus crash.

There was blood everywhere on the floor as survivors of the double-decker bus crash near Simpang Pulai were given immediate medical attention.

Victims were being transferred in and out of the critical ward but doctors and medical officers declined to divulge information about the condition of their patients.

There were no family members seen at the mortuary as most of the victims were Thai nationals, whose families had yet to arrive.

Pressmen crowded the front of the mortuary to find out the number of victims involved in the accident.

The list of names of the deceased kept growing every hour as more bodies were identified.

First Secretary to the Royal Thai Embassy in Malaysia, Suwit Mangkhala, expressed his deepest regret over the accident.

He said they were trying to verify the identities of the Thai nationals and inform the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bangkok.

“The families of victims have been contacting us and they are very worried,” he said, adding that the embassy was doing its best to provide information to the family members.

Iuntnapa Chuchart, 53, who is being warded at the hospital for multiple lacerations on her face, said the group had arrived from Bangkok on Dec 18.

The younger brothers of tour guide Soontorn Kian, 38, arrived at the mortuary at about 10pm.

“We will be taking his body back to our hometown in Alor Setar,” said Prishit Kian, 35, who came from Penang with another brother, Pranom Kian, 25.

More news on: http://thestar.com.my/

Nahas paling ngeri

ANGGOTA polis serta Bomba dan Penyelamat mencari mangsa yang terlibat dalam kemalangan bas persiaran mengakibatkan 27 maut di Kilometer 15, Jalan Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands, semalam. - UTUSAN/MOHD. NAJIB MOHD. NOR dan CHINA PRESS

IPOH 20 Dis. – Percutian sekumpulan 35 pelancong warga Thailand ke pusat peranginan Cameron Highlands, Pahang bertukar menjadi tragedi apabila 25 daripada mereka maut manakala 10 lagi parah dalam nahas yang disifatkan terburuk dalam sejarah kemalangan membabitkan bas ekspres di negara ini.

Nahas ngeri kira-kira pukul 11.50 pagi di Kilometer 15, Jalan Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands itu turut meragut nyawa dua rakyat tempatan iaitu pemandu bas, Omar Shahidan (gambar), 48, dan Soontorn Kian, 38, pemandu pelancong berketurunan Siam.

Ketika kejadian, terdapat seramai 37 orang dalam bas tersebut. Seramai 15 yang terbunuh dalam nahas itu adalah wanita manakala selebihnya 12 orang lelaki.

Dengan angka 27 kematian itu, nahas tersebut disifatkan terburuk dalam sejarah nahas kemalangan jalan raya di negara ini.

Ia meragut paling banyak nyawa selepas kemalangan membabitkan sebuah bas ekspres di Kilometer 229, Lebuh Raya Utara-Selatan dekat Bukit Gantang, Perak, meragut 21 nyawa dan mencederakan lapan yang lain pada 13 Ogos 2007.

Timbalan Ketua Polis Perak, Datuk Zakaria Yusof berkata, seramai 22 mangsa mati di tempat kejadian, empat ketika dalam perjalanan ke hospital manakala seorang lagi meninggal dunia di Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) di sini.

“Bas persiaran dua tingkat itu dikatakan hilang kawalan sewaktu menuruni laluan berbukit sebelum merempuh pembahagi jalan konkrit berdekatan Kampung Juang di sini.

“Bas itu kemudian terpelanting ke laluan bertentangan sebelum terbalik ke dalam longkang sedalam satu meter,” katanya kepada pemberita di lokasi kejadian di sini, hari ini.

Menurut Zakaria, bas itu menuruni Cameron Highlands kira-kira pukul 11 pagi menuju ke Kuala Lumpur kerana pelancong berkenaan dikatakan akan mengambil penerbangan pulang ke Bangkok melalui Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA).

“Polis terpaksa menutup laluan kedua-dua arah selepas kemalangan tersebut,” ujarnya.

Beliau berkata, bas dua tingkat milik San Express Holiday dengan nombor pendaftaran AFX 2266 itu didaftarkan di Perak tetapi berpusat di Changloon, Kedah.

Sementara itu, pengarah urusan syarikat berkenaan, Sor Eng Hock yang kini berada di Bangkok kerana urusan perniagaan ketika dihubungi Bernama berkata, sebelum ini tidak pernah berlaku kemalangan melibatkan syarikat itu.

“Tak sangka jadi macam ini. Saya tak tahu punca... saya kena balik dan bincang,” katanya.

Menurut Eng Hock, syarikat yang didaftarkan pada 2007 itu mempunyai enam buah bas. Ditanya mengenai bentuk bantuan kepada mangsa, beliau berkata syarikat akan merancang sesuatu.

Laluan Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands dibuka kepada lalu lintas pada 2003 dan merupakan laluan alternatif ke Cameron Highlands selain jalan dari Tapah.

Jalan tersebut juga digunakan bagi mereka yang mahu pergi ke Gua Musang melalui Lojing, Kelantan.

Zakaria ketika ditanya sama ada kemalangan itu berpunca daripada kegagalan brek atau dipandu laju tidak menafikan kemungkinan tersebut dan akan menyiasat dua faktor berkenaan.

“Siasatan lanjut punca sebenar nahas akan dilakukan oleh Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) dan Institut Penyelidikan Keselamatan Jalan Raya Malaysia (Miros),” katanya.

More news on: http://www.utusan.com.my/

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27 killed in Camerons crash

Thai holidaymakers die after bus hit divider and overturned

IPOH: Twenty-seven people were killed when their bus hit a divider and overturned on its way down from Cameron Highlands in what is possibly the worst road accident in Malaysian history.

The tragedy at KM15 of the Cameron Highland-Simpang Pulai road claimed the lives of 25 Thai nationals who had been on a holiday in the hill resort.

Perak deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Zakaria Yusof said the other two casualties were driver Omar Shahidan, 48, and tour guide Soontorn Kian, 38. Both were Malaysians.


27 killed as tour bus overturns in Cameron Highlands
source: thestaronline Channel

“There were a total of 37 people onboard at the time, 34 were Thai holidaymakers from Bangkok and three others Malaysians,” he said.

The double-decker bus was heading from Cameron Highlands towards Kuala Lumpur at 11.40am yesterday.

“The driver was trying to negotiate a sharp bend but failed, causing the bus to hit a divider before overturning.

“The bus landed on its roof in a ditch about 51m away from the divider,” SAC Zakaria said.

He said the impact of the crash was so severe that bodies were flung several metres away from the wreckage while others were trapped deep in the mangled vehicle.

Twenty-two of the victims were killed on the spot. Five others died after being rushed to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here.

SAC Zakaria said the cause of the accident could have been due to speeding or technical failure of the brakes.

It took about 100 personnel from the police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Department and Public Works Department over three hours to retrieve the bodies.

The wreckage was finally towed downhill at about 4pm, causing massive jams on both sides of the road as far as 5km away.

It is learnt that of the 10 survivors, one was discharged after being treated for minor injuries; three were undergoing surgery and the rest warded as at 7pm.

SAC Zakaria said the bus was heading to Kuala Lumpur where the Thais were believed to have been scheduled to fly back to Bangkok.

The Cameron Highland-Simpang Pulai Road, which has many curves and gradients, was opened to traffic in 2003.

It is an alternative road to the highlands besides the Tapah route.

More news on: http://thestar.com.my/

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27 killed as tour bus overturns in Cameron Highlands

IPOH: Twenty-seven passengers of a tour bus were killed after the vehicle hit a divider and overturned on its way down from Cameron Highlands Monday.

Twenty-two died at the scene of the accident and five at the Raja Permaisuri hospital here. Another 10 injured were being treated at the hospital.

According to Perak state deputy CPO SAC Datuk Zakaria Yusof, the fatalies ias at 5.50pm included a Malaysian (the bus driver) and 26 Thai nationals (11 male and 15 female).

He said the bus had 37 passengers onboard, 34 of them Thai.

The deceased identified so far are Omar Shahidan, 48; Charcart Knagsuwan, 48; Thanvarat Poolsang, 36; Nutthiya Inyyim, 50; Poonporn Poolsaene, 41; Sum Ruay Swatphet, 48; Darunee Songserm; Putharee Akkrarachaw Wanont, 42; Ponethanest Akkrarachaw Wanont, 45; Rung Da; Suchanchida Chaiaueai, 40; Sriwai Swatphet, 22; Prinya Prassakulchai, 48; Chutina Throukool, 25; Thitisak Pongtanarat, 51; and Junpen Pongtanarat, 50; Phayong Kruajinli, 49; and Ekachai Na Bangxang, 64.

The accident occured at KM15 of the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai at 11.40am. The bus was heading to Kuala Lumpur from cameron Highlands.

It is learn that the excursion bus company is registered in Jitra.

SAC Datuk Zakaria said the cause of the accident could have been speeding or brake failure.

More to come

Major bus accidents in Malaysia in recent years:

Dec 17: Four prison officers killed after a Prisons Department bus plunged into a ravine along the hilly and winding Tambunan-Kota Kinabalu trunk road.

Oct 29: Seven passengers, aged between 13 and 28, killed after their bus skidded and overtured at KM38 Genting Sempah, while enroute to Kuala Lumpur. It was later revealed the driver of the bus had no valid driving licence.

Oct 10: Thirteen killed in bus crash along KM223 of the North-South Expressway (NSE), near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza.

Dec 25, 2009: Ten killed after a double-decker express bus skidded and hit a road divider at KM272.8 of the NSE, after the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza (northbound).

Dec 7, 2008: Ten dead after an express bus skided and overturned at KM146.5 of the NSE, near Pagoh, Johor.

Aug 13, 2007: One of the worst road crashes in Malaysian history claims 22 lives. The bus they victims were in crashed at KM229 of the NSE, near the Bukit Gantang rest area.

March 9, 2007: Six killed after an express bus plunged into a ravine at KM254, NSE, near the Sg Perak rest and recreation area.

July 30, 2006: Eleven pilgrims to the annual St Anne's Feast in Penang were killed when their chartered bus overturned at KM160.8 of the NSE, near the Jawi interchange at Nibong Tebal.

Nov 23, 2003: Fourteen killed when an express bus collides with another bus at KM63, Jalan Lipis-Merapoh near the Pahang-Kelantan border.

More news on: http://thestar.com.my/

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More news and photos of the accident: http://www.nst.com.my/

Credits to and source taken from: http://www.nst.com.my/

Jumlah kematian nahas bas meningkat kepada 27

2010/12/20

IPOH: Seorang lagi penumpang bas persiaran yang terbabit dalam nahas di Jalan Simpang Pulai-Cemeron Highlands, pagi tadi meninggal dunia ketika dirawat di Unit Kecemasan Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, di sini, jam 4 petang tadi.

Ini menjadikan semua 27 penumpang maut, dengan 22 daripadanya meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian.

More news on: http://www.bharian.com.my/

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Angka korban nahas bas pelancong meningkat 27 orang
20/12/2010 4:19pm

IPOH 20 Dis. – Seorang lagi penumpang bas warga Thailand meninggal dunia ketika dirawat di Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun di sini pukul 4 petang ini, menjadikan jumlah kematian nahas bas pelancong di Simpang Pulai hari ini meningkat kepada 27 orang termasuk tiga rakyat Malaysia.

Kesemua 27 mayat itu dibawa ke hospital. – Utusan

Senarai nama 26 daripada 27 mangsa kemalangan bas
20/12/2010 8:51pm

IPOH 20 Dis. – Pihak polis setakat ini telah mengeluarkan senarai nama dua rakyat Malaysia dan 24 rakyat Thailand daripada 27 orang kesemuanya yang terbunuh dalam kemalangan di KM15, Jalan Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai pada pukul 11.40 pagi tadi.

1. Omar Shahidan, 48, pemandu, rakyat Malaysia

2. Soontorn a/l Kian, 38, (pemandu pelancong lelaki keturunan Siam Malaysia)

3. Charcart Knagsuwan, 48, (lelaki)

4. Thanvaraj Poolsang, 36, (perempuan)

5. Nutthiya Inyyim, 50, (perempuan)

6. Poonporn poolsaene, 41, (lelaki)

7. Sumruay Swatphet, 48, (lelaki)

8. Putharee Akkrarachaw Wanont, 42, (perempuan)

9. Ponethanest Akkrarachaw Wanont, 45, (lelaki)

10. Suchanchida Chaiaueai, 40, (perempuan)

11. Sriwai Swatphet, 42, (perempuan)

12. Prinya Prassakulchai, 48, (perempuan)

13. Chutima Throukool, 25, (perempuan)

14. Thitisak Pongtanarat, 51, (lelaki)

15. Junpen Pongtanarat, 50, (perempuan)

16. Phayong Kruanjinli, 59, (lelaki)

17. Ekachai Na Bangxang, 64, (lelaki)

18. Mantana Phromduag, 51, (perempuan)

19. Rungnada Klungsawan (perempuan)

20. Darunee Songserm (perempuan)

21. Isariya Thiangtham, 25, (perempuan)

22. Ampaiwan Thiangtham, 50 (perempuan)

23. Maliwan Mekmahaprom, 53, (perempuan)

24. Achara Wiwat, 36, (perempuan)

25. Natkritta Poolsaeng, 6, (perempuan)

26. Weera Chuntanagon, (lelaki)

– Bernama

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