19 Innocent Passengers Killed

the news from the star, I just copy and paste it...

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/8/14/nation/18583070&sec=nation

Tuesday August 14, 2007

TAIPING: He had no business driving a bus and for that matter the vehicle should not even be plying the route in the first place. Bus driver Rohizan Abu Bakar, 37, who were among those killed, had 13 summonses, including a number of unsettled ones, and two warrants of arrest against him for a slew of traffic offences.

The 20-year-old Super Express bus, bearing the plate number ABK 79, belonged to Taiping-based Syarikat Kenderaan Bukit Gantang Sdn Bhd, only had a permit to travel between Kuala Lumpur and here, and another to travel between Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu. On top of that, 19 summonses had been issued against the bus since 1991.

Yet, it started its journey from Malacca at 10.30pm on Sunday and was headed towards Alor Star. At 4.40am yesterday, Rohizan lost control of the bus as it was going down an incline and it crashed into a ditch at the 229th kilometre of the North-South Expressway in Bukit Berapit, Bukit Gantang near here, killing 19 of his passengers.

The ageing bus practically tore into two when it fell into the ravine. The roof was ripped off from the vehicle leaving those in the bus without any protection.

Firemen who arrived at the scene soon after the accident found most of the dead strewn around a boulder in the ditch. Bags and belongings were also all over the place as the topless bus laid on its sides and its roof about 10m away in the bushes.

Larut Matang OCPD Asst Comm Raja Musa Raja Razak, who released these shocking facts, also made it known that the police would throw the book at the bus operators and owners.
The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board in the afternoon ordered the suspension of the bus company's permits and ordered all the Super Express buses off the road.

Praying hard, for I can reach my home safely...