On June 9, a bus carrying over 40 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students crashed into a Perodua Alza in Hulu Perak, killing 15 of them.
One of the survivors recalled the moments before the accident, saying the bus driver was allegedly speeding along the dark and winding road, making the ride feel unstable and dangerous, according to Harian Metro.
“There was nothing more I could do”
The 39-year-old bus driver involved in the crash has since come forward to apologise and share his side of the story, as reported by Harian Metro.
“I want to apologise to all the families of the victims and the students involved in the accident. What happened was because the bus brakes suddenly stopped working.”
Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle, who’s been driving buses since 2016, said the bus was fine until it reached the elephant crossing bridge in Gerik, when the brakes suddenly gave out.
“I tried everything I could, but the air pressure was gone, so nothing worked, not even the handbrake or the gear shift. People saw me overtaking and thought I was speeding, but I was actually trying to avoid hitting other vehicles. The crash happened on a bend, and there was just nothing more I could do.”
He said he even shouted at the students to be alert and prepare themselves.
“Those sitting in front might’ve heard me, but most of the students at the back were asleep and probably thought I was just yelling out of anger. I wasn’t speeding like people are saying online. I know that Jeli-Gerik road well, especially the part where the accident happened, it’s downhill,” he added.
“We didn’t hire a lorry driver”
Meanwhile, with all the rumours flying around since the crash, the bus company involved has come forward to deny claims that they used a lorry driver as a replacement to drive the students.
Kenari Utara’s Operations Officer, Mohd Nazri Nawi, said the claim was completely untrue, adding that they did proper screening before hiring a replacement driver since the original one was on leave.
“I don’t know where this claim came from or who said we got a lorry driver. We never simply hire anyone without screening them first. Yes, the replacement driver was from another bus company, but he has experience driving buses, even for long-distance trips, but he’s definitely not a lorry driver,” Nazri said.
Nazri said both drivers who were assigned to take the UPSI students had clean records and weren’t under the influence of anything while on duty.
Nazri also urged the public to stop speculating on the matter and allow authorities to conduct their investigation, assuring that the company will give full cooperation.
Also read: 15 UPSI Students Tragically Killed After Bus Collides with Alza in Perak, Some Thrown from Vehicle
