Eight killed and another eight sustain injuries in road accident

JOHOR BARU: What was supposed to be joyride for a group of teenage cyclists near an exit of a bypass turned into a tragedy, lea­ving eight of them dead.

A car driven by a woman ploughed into them at about 3.30am yesterday along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, near the Mahmoodiah Muslim cemetery.

Six of them died on the spot.

Two others died from serious injuries on the way to Sultanah Aminah Hospital, about 500m from the scene.

At press time, two other teena­gers are in critical condition and warded at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital.

Another six, who suffered broken limbs and head injuries, have been admitted in the orthopaedic ward.

The dead have been identified as Fauzan Halmijah, 13, from Taman Desa Cemerlang; Muhamad Shahrul Izzwan Azzuraimee, 14, from Kampung Seri Jaya; Muhammad Harith Iskandar Abdullah, 14, from Kampung Dato Hajjah Hasnah Ahmad; and Mohammad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14, from Taman Sinaran Kempas.

The others are Muhammad Shahrul Nizam Maruddin, 14, from Taman Desa Mutiara; Mohamad Azhar Amir, 16, from Kampung Senibong Permas Jaya; Muhammad Firdauz Danish Mohd Azahar, 16, from Taman Damai Jaya Skudai; and Haizad Kasrin, 16, from Kampung Sri Makmur Plentong.

The two warded in the ICU are Muhammad Nazri Mahmudi, 14, and Mohamed Shamizal Iqmal Abdullah, 16.

Those who suffered limbs and head injuries are Mohammad Arasshat Abdullah, 14, Muhammad Arif Salman, 15, Muhamad Farhan Che Mat, 16, Abdul Samad Abdul Kadir, 16, Muhammad Fitri Muham­mad Fatoni, 17, and Muhammad Zulfadli Yusri, 19.

Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Sulaiman Salleh said initial investigations showed the 22-year-old driver was heading from her friend’s house in Taman Pelangi towards Jalan Skudai.

According to her, the cyclists were in the middle of the road, which was dim, when she rammed into them. Checks showed that the driver, a saleswoman, has a valid driving licence since 2012, ACP Sulaiman told reporters when met at the hospital mortuary here.

ACP Sulaiman said the case would be investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving, resulting in death. He added that last year, police conducted 28 operations on the teenage cycling groups and seized 37 bicycles.

“This year, we already held five operations and confiscated 17 bicycles,” he said, adding that the teenagers would run away and leave their bicycles behind whenever they saw policemen.