18-06-2025
Gerik bus crash survivor haunted by trauma
BESUT: The emotional toll from the Gerik bus crash weighs heavily on Nur Ain Najwa Mohd Ilias, 23, who survived the incident that killed 15 of her university mates on June 9.
"I don't have the strength to look at news about the incident on social media," said the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) student.
She suffered a fractured left shoulder in the crash and is traumatised by the sight and sound of buses.
The Arabic with Education student said she now only uses WhatsApp to communicate with family, friends and her lecturers at UPSI.
"Whenever I hear the sound of a bus, I get anxious and try to calm myself by reciting istighfar," she said at her home in Kampung Gong Kemuntong.
Nur Ain Najwa said she was semi-conscious at the time of the incident as she had fallen asleep after taking medication for a fever.
"I regained consciousness only after the bus had overturned.
"It was eerily silent, and my left shoulder was in excruciating pain. In my heart I said, 'Ya Allah, if You want to take my life, I am ready,' before losing consciousness again.
"The next time I woke up, I was outside the bus, waiting for help."
She said she had used part of her headscarf to support her injured arm before a passer-by gave her a piece of cloth.
Her mother, Nani Hamid, 49, said Ain hadn't planned to take the bus that night, but decided to return to campus early and bought a ticket from another student.
She added that Ain had initially planned to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha at her sister's home in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, but in the end both siblings decided to return to their family home in Kampung Gong Kemuntong.
