Loke: Bus in Fatal Electrocution Case Suspended, Special Taskforce Activated to Investigate Incident

Malaysians were rocked by the tragic death of an 18-year-old teen on Friday (1 November) after he was electrocuted while charging his smartphone using a socket onboard an express bus at the Penang Sentral bus terminal in Butterworth, Penang.

Following this, Minister of Transport Anthony Loke Siew Fook has released a statement on the matter, stressing that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) views the incident seriously. 

A Special Taskforce has been activated to investigate the incident

Anthony Loke Siew Fook

Taking to his official Facebook page, Loke revealed that he has instructed the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to immediately suspend the operation of the express bus. Furthermore, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will also immediately conduct investigations into the incident.

In addition, a Special Taskforce consisting of JPJ, APAD and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has been activated to investigate the cause of the incident to ensure it won’t happen again.

Loke asserted,

“A Special Taskforce consisting of JPJ, APAD and MIROS has also been activated to investigate the cause of the incident in order to ensure such an incident won’t happen again and that the safety of passengers is always safeguarded.”

The Minister of Transport also offered his condolences to the family of the victim for the tragic incident.

The police classified the case as sudden death

In the incident that took place at around 7.40pm on Friday, the victim, 18-year-old Mohamad Nur Asymawi, was onboard the express bus before it left for Kuala Lumpur from Penang when he was electrocuted while charging his smartphone using the express bus’ socket.

An initial investigation found burn marks on the victim’s left fingers believed to be a result of the electrocution when charging a smartphone. The case has been classified as sudden death by the police.

So, what do you guys think of Loke’s statement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. 

Also read: 18yo Teen in Penang Dies from Electrocution While Charging His Smartphone Using Socket on Express Bus