LPT2 incident: 'Impossible for me to purposely hit the tiger' - MPV driver

An incident involving an adult tiger being hit by a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) of the East Coast Expressway 2 (LPT2) has gone viral on social media.

Netizens were outraged over the incident and shared their displeasure, citing the driver's negligence as unforgivable.

Some social media users went to the extent of sharing serious allegations against the driver.

READ: Tiger dies after hit by MPV at LPT2

But, it was not all the driver's fault, it seems.

The MPV driver, Syahrin Abdul Aziz -- who is a freelance photographer when contacted by Astro AWANI Saturday explained the incident was inevitable as the tiger had ran across the highway, in front of his vehicle.

In the Saturday morning incident, an adult tiger was reportedly being hit by a Hyundai Starex MPV at KM 321.2 of LPT2, near Kemaman.

"The incident happened in split second. And when it happened, I remember how I lost control of the car ... if I had turned to the left, the car would have crashed into the ravine. The road was too dark and there were no other cars on the highway," said Syahrin.

The mammal had reportedly crossed the highway before it was hit by the Kuala Terengganu-bound MPV from Kuala Lumpur.

Police confirmed that the driver and three passengers in the vehicle escaped unscathed.

The tiger's carcass was handed over to the Wildlife Department for examination.