Two young survivors told their family members have died
MELAKA: It was a moment of deep sorrow when two young survivors of the devastating Ayer Keroh crash were told the heartbreaking truth – they had lost their parents and little brother.
Seven-year-old Muhammad Uwais Al-Qarni Khairul Ikhwan and his four-year-old sister Sofea Humaira Khairul Ikhwan broke down in tears as they were told the tragic news at the Melaka Hospital on Friday.
Doctors and relatives tried their best to comfort the siblings, but the weight of the loss was too much to bear.
“We waited until their health stabilised to tell them as they were still undergoing treatment,” said Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem, chairman of the Melaka health, human resources and unity committee.
On Wednesday, Muhammad Uwais Al-Qarni reportedly underwent surgery for a fractured right thigh, while his sister underwent surgery for a broken left thigh.
The two children, who survived the horrific crash at KM204 of the North-South Expressway near the Ayer Keroh rest and recreational area on Monday, will soon be transferred to Hospital Serdang in Selangor for follow-up medical and psychiatric care.
Once discharged, they are expected to be placed in the care of their grandparents.
Ngwe, who is Machap Jaya assemblyman, visited the children yesterday, bringing them gifts in the hope of lifting their spirits.
The crash that shattered their family happened when a dislodged front tyre from a heavy vehicle heading south triggered a catastrophic multi-vehicle collision involving two cars, a trailer, a lorry and a tour bus carrying 27 passengers.
The bus reportedly struck the tyre lying in the middle of the expressway, causing the driver to lose control and skid into the opposite lane, where it collided with other vehicles.
Among those killed on the spot were the children’s two-year-old brother Muhammad Umar Khairul Ikhwan; their parents Khairul Izwan Mazupi and Fadzlenna Ramli, both 32; and their grandparents Ramli Ab Wahab, 66, and Fauziah Jaafar, 69.
The 56-year-old bus driver, Noorisnien Khamid, and Singaporean passenger Lamrah Asid Ali, 66, were also killed. A total of 33 others were injured.
Meanwhile, Ngwe said the 27-year-old trailer driver, Mohamad Shafiq Mohd Zuki, who was previously in critical condition and monitored in the intensive care unit, has regained consciousness and is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right thigh in the first week of January.
