Driver of van carrying tahfiz pupils did not have licence - police

The driver of the van that was involved in the accident at Kuala Krai, Kelantan in which seven tahfiz students lost their lives, does not possess a driving licence.

However, said Kuala Krai deputy police chief DSP Zulkarnain Ismail Al Haj, the 24-year-old man did not have any record of traffic offence and also tested negative for drugs.

"Initial investigations found that the driver of the Weststar Maxus V80 had overtaken another vehicle and was moving into his lane when he lost control of the van and crashed into a house on the right side of the road," said Zulkarnain when contacted.

In the incident at Kilometre 55, Kuala Krai-Kota Bharu Road around 9.40am, seven other passengers of the van sustained injuries, five of them, seriously.

The group of 12 students and two teachers from Maahad Tahfiz Al-Hashimi Kampung Tualang were heading to Kota Bharu to attend a programme at Madinah Ramadan near Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium.

-- BERNAMA