Bus plunges into drain, two Indonesian nationals die, eight sustain severe injuries

Two Indonesian nationals were killed, while eight others severely injured after the bus they were travelling in skidded and plunged into a drain at KM 43 of Klang-Teluk Intan road in Kuala Selangor early today.

The dead are a man and a woman.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department Operations Assistant Director Mohd Sani Harul said the chartered bus carrying 47 Indonesian nationals was heading to Bagan Datoh jetty in Teluk Intan, Perak, to return to Medan, Indonesia, when the mishap occurred at 5 am.

The rescue squad took about 10 minutes to get the bodies out of the bus as they were pinned to their seats, he said.

Mohd Sani said 22 other passengers sustained minor injuries, while 16 others, including the bus driver, escaped unhurt.

Injured victims were taken to Sungai Buloh and Tanjung Karang Hospitals.

Mohd Sani said they were informed about the incident at 5.05 am and a total of 19 rescuers from Kuala Selangor and Tanjung Karang fire and rescue stations were rushed to the scene for the rescue operation which ended at 7.10 am.

Meanwhile, Kuala Selangor police chief Supt Ruslan Abdullah said the blood sample of the bus driver had been taken to be examined and the case would be investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

One of the victims who perished in the accident was identified as Burhanuddin Yahya, 50, a permanent resident in Malaysia.

His son, Mohd Khairul, 19, when met at the Tanjung Karang Hospital, said his father had planned to return to his hometown in Indonesia after not doing so for three years.

Burhanuddin, who stayed in Taman Alam Megah, Shah Alam, leaves behind wife, Cut Putri Syed Hussin, 46, and four children.

The identity of the female victim, however, has yet to be ascertained.