Tragedy strikes Singaporean family in horrific Port Dickson crash
Four Singaporeans were killed in a five-vehicle road accident in the Malaysian town of Port Dickson yesterday, the latest in a series of traffic fatalities involving Singaporeans travelling overseas.
Photos of the accident, which occurred at around 2.30pm at a T-junction in Jalan Lukut Sepang and involved a Honda Stream, a tipper truck, a Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle, a Perodua Myvi and a motorcycle, began circulating on social media yesterday afternoon.
They showed the Singapore-registered white Honda Stream crushed by a tipper truck.
Port Dickson police chief Zainudin Ahmad told The Straits Times that the Singaporeans, believed to be from one family, were travelling in the Honda.
Three passengers - Madam Maimunah Sapari, 51, Ms Nur Amalina Rosli, 21, and Ms Dayana Sarah Rosli, 18 - died at the scene and were taken to Port Dickson Hospital. The driver, Mr Rosli Samad, 54, died en route to Seremban Hospital, the police chief added.
The truck driver abandoned the truck and fled on foot after the accident but turned himself in around 5.30pm, said the police chief, adding that they would be applying for a remand order today from the Port Dickson Magistrate's Court.
Bernama news agency reported that preliminary investigations found that the truck, coming from Sepang, had hit the motorcycle before skidding onto the opposite lane and hitting the Honda Stream, a Mercedes-Benz and a Perodua Myvi.
Senior Assistant Superintendent Razif M. Haris, head of the Fire and Rescue Department in Port Dickson, said it took 17 minutes to extricate Mr Rosli. The truck was lifted using a crane to free the Honda Stream, and the road reopened to traffic by 4.25pm. The motorcycle rider was also reported as injured.
The Straits Times understands Mr Rosli was the owner of R S Bikes Centre, a motorcycle dealership in Kaki Bukit that his son also manages.
Mr Jawa, who owns the neighbouring Sanfu Motor at Autobay at Kaki Bukit, said Mr Rosli's son had closed the shop at about 3pm yesterday after hearing of the collision.
Mr Jawa, who goes by one name, said Mr Rosli was a low-profile person and that the shop had been in operation for about eight years.
Mr Vanga Ganasan, 28, a sales manager for Lupromax engine oil, said Mr Rosli was a client and a skilled mechanic.
"He was one of three mechanics in Singapore who knew how to maintain my 1990s BMW R1100GS motorcycle. He was a good man, and he was generous with his time," said Mr Vanga, adding that he met Mr Rosli last week at a meal along with other dealers.
"I did not think that it would be the last time I would see him."
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said: "MFA extends our deepest condolences to the family of the four Singaporeans who passed away in the tragic car accident at Port Dickson, Malaysia.
"The Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is in contact with the Malaysian authorities and is rendering the necessary consular assistance to the next-of-kin of the family."
11 road fatalities overseas since last month
Eleven Singaporeans are now known to have died in traffic accidents overseas since last month, with the latest tragedy being the Port Dickson crash that killed a family of four.
• Dec 11: A driver identified as Mr Seow Kai Yuan was killed in a head-on crash in New Zealand that injured two others.
• Dec 21: Interior designer Koh Yuan Ling, 33, died in a traffic accident in South Africa. Ms Koh was travelling with her sister, Ms Koh Yuan Jie, who was injured. They had reportedly been in Johannesburg for less than 24 hours when the accident occurred.
• Dec 22: Three members of a family of four were killed while they were driving towards the Grand Canyon in Arizona. They were Singapore Armed Forces scholarship holder Justin Yeo Jun Xi, 22, and his parents, Mr Yeo Heng Soon, 62, and Madam Chua Cher Hwee, 56. His 19-year-old sister, Ms Justlyn Yeo Jing Hui, survived. Their car apparently crossed the painted median and collided head-on with a van.
• Dec 31: A motorcycle accident in Thailand claimed the lives of Ms Vanalyn Png, 22, and Mr Ng Yong Sing, 27. The motorcycle is believed to have skidded on a wet road, flinging the pair into a 3m-deep drain in southern Phatthalung province.
No comments:
Post a Comment