Chronology of tragic UPSI bus crash that claimed 15 lives
The accident, which also involved a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on the East-West Highway (JRTB) near Tasik Banding in Gerik, claimed the lives of 15 students.
The following is a chronology of the accident:
1.10 am: The Hulu Perak Civil Defence Force (APM) District Operations Control Centre (PKOD) receives an emergency call regarding the incident from Gerik Hospital.
Hulu Perak APM PKOD informed that a total of 48 victims were involved, with 13 individuals found dead at the scene, two succumbing to injuries in hospital, and four others injured.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Sayani Saidon confirmed that the accident caused the bus to overturn and a car to skid into a ditch.
UPSI Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student and Alumni Affairs) Prof Dr Norkhalid Salimin said most of the bus passengers were UPSI students returning to campus in Tanjong Malim from Terengganu after the Hari Raya Aidiladha holidays.
9.32 am: UPSI confirms that 42 of its students were involved in the accident at JRTB Banun, Gerik, early Monday.
11.21 am: Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir says 13 bodies of the victims involved in the crash were taken to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB), Ipoh, for post-mortem examinations.
He also confirms that 15 UPSI students had died in the accident.
12.04 pm: Perak Police Chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin says the bus was carrying 42 students aged between 21 and 23, all from the East Coast.
The accident resulted in 15 fatalities. All bodies were awaiting post-mortem; 13 were sent to HRPB while two were at Gerik Hospital.
A total of 27 other students—23 females and four males—were also injured, along with the 40-year-old bus driver and his 54-year-old assistant.
Also injured were the MPV driver and passenger, a couple aged 37 and 36, and their two children, a six-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy.
Noor Hisam said the identities of the victims, including the 15 who died, could not be confirmed yet as the post-mortem process was still underway.
2.25 pm: The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) announces the formation of a special task force to investigate the crash.
5.30 pm: The identities of six out of the 15 UPSI students who died in the accident near KM53 of the JRTB are confirmed.
In a statement, UPSI's Corporate Communication Division names them as Sufea Adela Maslihaizan, 21; Mohammad Aqil Taqiudin, 21; Anis Soffiyya Md Zaidi, 20; Nur Ainul Qistina Mat Ali, 21; Muhammad Adib Hazim Halim, 21; and Wan Nur Suhaila Wan Mohammad, 22.
Also confirmed dead are Fakhrul Arif Rosdi, 20; Nurul Fatihah Abu Setaman, 22; Nur Dalila Farhana Mohamad Isma, 21; Nurul Izyanti Muhamad Azahar, 21; Nur Amni Nadiah Nik Nor Zabir, 21; Muhammad Mustaqim Rosde, 21; Nor Ayuni Maslan, 21; Nurly Sahirah Azman, 23; and Fatin Nasrien Fadli, 22.
6.51 pm: Noor Hisam says post-mortem examinations of 13 UPSI students at HRPB have been completed, and the bodies may be sent back to Terengganu earlier than expected.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![News@9: Today's top headlines - July 18, 2025 [WATCH]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
News@9: Today's top headlines - July 18, 2025 [WATCH]
Here are tonight's top stories: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is open to meeting Umno leaders over the royal addendum on Datuk Seri Najib Razak — but says the matter is up to the courts. A Transport Ministry report reveals the UPSI tour bus that crashed in Gerik last month — killing 15 students — was going 117km/h, nearly twice the speed limit. Following their cabinet exits, MPs Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad have been reassigned to the parliamentary backbenches. New seating starts Monday. Pamela still missing Three months since her disappearance, police say there are still no leads in the case of Datin Seri Pamela Ling Yueh. That's all for News@9.
Daily Express
5 hours ago
- Daily Express
Preliminary report on Upsi crash finds bus travelling at excessive speed
Published on: Friday, July 18, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jul 18, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: File photo shows the interior of the bus involved in the accident. - fotoBERNAMA PUTRAJAYA: Excessive speed, which was more than twice the legal limit, was among the key factors behind the fatal bus crash that claimed the lives of 15 students of the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi) in Gerik, Perak, last June 9. This was revealed in the preliminary report released today by the Special Task Force of the Ministry of Transport (MOT). Advertisement According to the report, dashcam footage and kinematic analysis showed that the bus was travelling at over 117 kilometres per hour (km/h), which is almost double the posted speed limit of 60 km/h for that area. "Based on the sequence of events captured in the dashcam footage and the physical evidence at the location, the bus skidded before overturning. "This indicates that the bus speed during the incident exceeded the critical threshold for skidding and most likely also surpassed the critical speed for overturning," according to the report. According to the report, the bus overturned to the left before skidding and hitting a W-beam road barrier, which then penetrated the cabin and caused serious injuries and deaths among the passengers. "Although the driver claimed that there was a brake system failure, the investigation has not yet confirmed any technical damage. "Initial inspections have identified signs of possible overheating of the brake components, but this situation could also be caused by excessive or inappropriate use of the brakes. A detailed assessment is still being carried out and will be reported in the final report," it said. It was also revealed that the bus was not equipped with any speed limit devices, such as a Speed Limitation Device (SLD) or an active GPS tracker, which made it difficult to detect the actual speed at the time of the incident and thus limited quantitative evidence for the assessment of driving performance. Following the accident, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) announced the mandatory implementation of the installation of SLDs in stages starting October 2025, subject to the category and date of registration of vehicles concerned. This is to ensure that speed control can be implemented more effectively. The report also revealed that the absence of seat belts for all passenger seats, except the driver's seat, is a serious weakness in terms of passive safety. "The four front seats that should have been equipped with seat belts according to existing regulations were also not installed, reflecting non-compliance with minimum safety requirements. 'This situation raises questions about the thoroughness of the vehicle inspection process and technical approval during registration," it said. The findings also showed that 11 of the 15 victims who died were seated on the left side of the bus, which is the main impact zone due to the collision with the road barrier, while another was sitting in the back row, which was also exposed to high impact forces. "The absence of seat belts exposed passengers to internal impact and the risk of being thrown out of the vehicle. "Although the seat anchorage system was not detached, the extremely high impact force caused the roof structure and main pillars to fail, and the road barrier penetrated the cabin. This situation limited the survival space and increased the risk of fatal injuries," the report said. It said the investigation also found both bus drivers had a worrying record of traffic offences, with the first driver (who was driving at the time of the incident) having 18 traffic summonses from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), with 13 of them still outstanding. The majority of the summonses issued against him were for speeding, and this high record of offences reflects a pattern of risky driving and repeated non-compliance with road laws, stated the report. As for the second driver, he had nine active summonses from the JPJ and 13 summonses from PDRM that were still outstanding. However, there is no evidence yet that the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as the official results of the toxicology test had not yet been received at the time of the report. According to the report, the investigation into the incident revealed systemic weaknesses in the aspects of industry governance, regulatory compliance and the effectiveness of enforcement by the operator and regulatory agencies. 'Serious violations that were detected, which include unauthorised license rental, abuse of the tour guide exemption application system and failure of safety audits, demonstrate the inability of the current system to ensure safe and ethical operation of tourist vehicles," the report said. According to the report, three entities involved in the vehicle operation chain, namely Kenari Utara Travel & Tours, Noreen Maju Trading and Nuratiqah Travel & Tours, underwent a safety audit (JISA) by JPJ between June 9 and 11. "The three companies were classified as non-compliant with very low audit scores (between 10 per cent and 12 per cent) and were found to have failed to comply with all mandatory requirements under the ICOP–Safety. "Among the critical failures recorded were the absence of an occupational health and safety officer or coordinator, the absence of an active and functional GPS monitoring system, the absence of systematic records for monitoring driving time and rest periods, the absence of an eTmergency response plan (ERP) and the absence of an emergency line number on the vehicle," stated the report. On June 9, the nation was shocked by a fatal accident involving a bus carrying 42 Upsi students who were travelling from Jertih, Terengganu, to Tanjung Malim, Perak. The accident, which also involved a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), on the East-West Highway (JRTB) near Tasik Banding in Gerik, claimed the lives of 15 Upsi students. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Barnama
6 hours ago
- Barnama
Preliminary Report On UPSI Crash Finds Bus Travelling At Excessive Speed
PUTRAJAYA, July 18 (Bernama) -- Excessive speed, which was more than twice the legal limit, was among the key factors behind the fatal bus crash that claimed the lives of 15 students of the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Gerik, Perak, last June 9. This was revealed in the preliminary report released today by the Special Task Force of the Ministry of Transport (MOT). According to the report, dashcam footage and kinematic analysis showed that the bus was travelling at over 117 kilometres per hour (km/h), which is almost double the posted speed limit of 60 km/h for that area. "Based on the sequence of events captured in the dashcam footage and the physical evidence at the location, the bus skidded before overturning. "This indicates that the bus speed during the incident exceeded the critical threshold for skidding and most likely also surpassed the critical speed for overturning," according to the report. According to the report, the bus overturned to the left before skidding and hitting a W-beam road barrier, which then penetrated the cabin and caused serious injuries and deaths among the passengers. "Although the driver claimed that there was a brake system failure, the investigation has not yet confirmed any technical damage. "Initial inspections have identified signs of possible overheating of the brake components, but this situation could also be caused by excessive or inappropriate use of the brakes. A detailed assessment is still being carried out and will be reported in the final report," it said. It was also revealed that the bus was not equipped with any speed limit devices, such as a Speed Limitation Device (SLD) or an active GPS tracker, which made it difficult to detect the actual speed at the time of the incident and thus limited quantitative evidence for the assessment of driving performance.
