JOHOR BARU: Two Indonesian men were killed and 16 others injured when a tour bus collided with two lorries at KM80.7 of the North-South Expressway southbound near Ayer Hitam.
Ayer Hitam Fire and Rescue Department station chief, assistant fire superintendent Mohamad Shamin Mohamed Salikin said the victims, identified as Hidirman, 43, and Zulhadi, 44, died at the scene after being trapped in the wreckage.
He said the station received an emergency call at 12.44am yesterday.
A fire rescue tender and an emergency medical rescue services unit, along with seven personnel from the Ayer Hitam and Yong Peng stations, were quickly dispatched to the scene.
“The crash involved a tour bus, a tow truck and a tanker lorry. Rescue personnel found the two men trapped inside the bus and pronounced them dead at the scene,” he said in a statement, Bernama reported.
Sixteen others, including the bus driver, sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Another 28 passengers escaped unhurt.
Special equipment was used to extricate the victims, and the rescue operation was called off at 3.03am.
Meanwhile, Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani said the accident occurred when the bus rear-ended a tanker lorry that was being towed by another lorry.
“The bus driver sustained injuries to his shoulder, ribs and hand, while five other passengers complained of head pain.
“The tanker lorry driver, the tow truck driver and the remaining passengers were not injured,” he said.
He added that the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
In a related development, Jati Heri Winarto, from the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Baru, said the tour bus was transporting Indonesian plantation workers who had just arrived from Lombok, Indonesia.
He said the workers were part of a 55-member group that had arrived at KL International Airport around 9pm and immediately travelled to Johor Baru.
Upon arrival, 45 workers boarded the bus, while 10 others took a van, he added.
He said the two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while another victim, identified as Nusiah, is currently receiving treatment at Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail for serious injuries.
He added that 14 other workers who sustained minor injuries have since been discharged after receiving treatment.
The Indonesian Consulate is currently working to arrange the repatriation of the bodies to Lombok and to obtain compensation, including through the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO).
