MELAKA: A relative of two-year-old Muhammad Umar Khairul Ikhwan who was killed in a tragic six-vehicle collision here recalls how her nephew had bid farewell during their final gathering at Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor.
Nur Aqilah Mazupi, 30, said she met Muhamad Umar and his elder brother Muhammad Uwais Al-Qarni Khairul Ikhwan, seven, and his four-year-old sister Nur Sofea Humaira Khairul Ikhwan at a family gathering on Saturday (Dec 21).
The gathering, she said was arranged by her brother Khairul Izwan Mazupi and his wife Fadzlenna Ramli, both of who were also killed in the accident at KM204 of the North-South Expressway (northbound) along with Faezlenna's father Ramli Ab Wahab, 66 and 69-year-old mother Fauziah Jaafar.
Nuraqilah said Muhammad Umar started to wave at her relentlessly as if he was bidding his final farewell after the gathering.
"He never stopped waving at me until the car he was in disappeared from my view," she said when met at the Melaka Hospital's Forensic Department on Tuesday (Dec 24).
She said her brother and sister-in-law who worked as medical assistants at Serdang Hospital and Kuala Lumpur Hospital, respectively were travelling to Melaka for a family gathering here on Saturday (Dec 21).
"My sister-in-law wanted to visit her family's side in Melaka and all of them were returning to Selangor when the accident occurred," she said.
Nuraqilah said her brother and sister-in-law also shared with her about celebrating the birthday of their three children simultaneously, about a week ago.
"My late brother told me that he held the joint celebration to be fair to all his children as two of his kids were December babies and another was born in February.
"The birthday bash was held at my grandma's house in Bangi, Selangor," she said.
Nuraqilah said she never expected that she would see her brother's family for the final time after the recent gathering.
"My family is making burial arrangements for our loved ones," she said adding that her late brother and sister-in-law were friendly and liked to do charity work.
Muhammad Uwais Al-Qarni and Nur Sofea Humaira are currently fighting for their lives at the Melaka Hospital.
The tragic accident, which occurred at 8.45pm on Mon (Dec 23), claimed the lives of seven people, including five family members while 33 others were injured.
The accident involved a tour bus carrying 27 passengers, a lorry, a trailer, a sedan car and an MPV.
Alor Gajah OCPD Supt Ashari Abu Samah said preliminary investigations the accident was caused by a detached lorry tyre in the middle lane, causing the bus driver travelling at the same stretch to lose control.
The tour bus veered into the opposite lane and collided with three vehicles, resulting in the deaths of five MPV passengers, the bus driver and a Singaporean female passenger.
