TAWAU: A father was devastated after knowing that his son, sister, mother and two nephews had died in an accident involving three vehicles at KM37 Jalan Semporna-Tawau, in Semporna on Sunday (Jan 12).
Kanol Asan, 43, said he received the tragic news from his nephew at about 5.30pm that his son Mohamad Nabil, 14, and other family members were killed in an accident.
Kanol said the accident occurred when the car his son was travelling in with six other family members was heading to Semporna after attending a family wedding at Mile 4 here.
"Nabil was a good son, who listens to what is said, never argues with his parents, even though he was a teenager, he knew how to keep his boundaries, he was a good student and like other teenagers, always followed trends, the last time I saw him on Saturday morning, he asked for RM2 but I said I needed it for work expenses.
"I said later perhaps but Nabil was very understanding of the family's situation, he never pestered me if I said ‘no’, he called me twice at 8.30pm that night (Saturday) but I didn’t know," he said at the Forensic Unit in Tawau Hospital here on Monday.
ASLO READ: Baby among six killed in three-vehicle pile-up on Semporna-Tawau road
On Sunday, six people were reported dead, including a baby boy, in an accident involving three vehicles - a car, a four-wheel drive and a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) - at KM37 Jalan Semporna-Tawau.
Kalno said that apart from Nabil, others who were in the car, his sister Jaimah, 30, and her two children Nur Inara Aida, 4, and Nur Aiman (6 months), his mother Asbira Ladjahani, 82, as well as his son's best friend Oyong, 18, also perished in the accident.
"Driving the car was my brother-in-law, Nur Hakim Mansur, 34 who is currently receiving treatment at the Tawau Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He had just returned from Johor a month ago to work at a resort construction site in Semporna.
"Hakim worked in Johor for a long time but then returned to work in Semporna because his wife and two children could not follow him to Johor, but all this is God’s will with the passing of his wife Jaimah and her two children, as well as my son and my mother,” he said.
Recalling the last moments, Kanol said his mother Asbira (whom he calls ‘Inak’) woke him up with a cup of coffee at 6am on Saturday and informed him that she wanted to attend a family wedding in Tawau.
"At that time my eyes were heavy, and I sipped the coffee in silence, but lately when I talked to inak, she would dwell on topics related to death," said Kanol, occasionally tearing up as he spoke.
He said all the victims will be buried at the Muslim cemetery in Jalan Balai Polis in Semporna on Monday. - Bernama
