Transport Ministry probes bus crash which claimed 12 lives

SEREMBAN, Oct 11 – The transport ministry has launched a probe into a horrific road crash involving two buses, van and two cars at the 223km of the North-South Expressway near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza, which claimed 12 lives yesterday.Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said he had instructed the Road Transport Department (RTD), Road Safety Department (RSD) and Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) to carry out the probe.“The express bus involved in the accident is new and was registered in 2007. Initial investigations revealed that the bus had also undergone regular inspections at Puspakom, with the latest being in May.“However, we will conduct further investigation on the bus’ steering and brake system,” he told reporters after visiting survivors of the crash at Tuanku Jaafar Hospital here today.


Also present were Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, RTD director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan and RSD director-general Datuk Suret Singh.Kong said the ministry was in the midst of amending the Road Transport Act to tighten enforcement, especially against drivers who were under the influence of drugs.

In KUALA LUMPUR, Bukit Aman traffic police chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusof said the police were also in the midst of investigating the case and examining the black box installed in the express bus to determine the cause of the crash.“Right now, we only know that the bus skidded to the opposite lane before it rammed into several other vehicles,” he said.He was speaking to reporters at a presentation ceremony where Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar handed over 19 vehicles to the police at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman today.

Abdul Aziz said initial investigations revealed the 52-year-old bus driver who was among those killed in the accident, had a clean traffic record and was described as a “very experienced driver”.Abdul Aziz said, neither the bus nor the bus company had any record of serious traffic offences.“So, let’s not point fingers at anyone. Let's look at the findings and determine who or what exactly caused the accident,” he said.Abdul Aziz said based on previous records, several accidents had also occurred at the same location.
He said in the 6.47pm accident, the Delima express bus was heading to Kuala Lumpur from Melaka and ferrying 40 passengers when it went out of control, flipped over to the south-bound side of the expressway and rammed into a van, two cars and another bus, leaving 12 people killed and 38 others injured. – Bernama

Source : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/transport-ministry-probes-bus-crash-which-claimed-12-lives/