GEORGE TOWN: “Syikin, help mummy ... help mummy.”
Those were the final cries of Noriah Kasa, 40, one of eight people killed in a crash involving two factory buses near the Juru toll plaza here this morning.
In her last moments, Noriah, pinned to her bus seat, managed to place a phone call to her daughter, Norasyikin Zuryanidufizan, 22.
Norasyikin said the call will forever haunt her.
“I will remember my mother's final cries for the rest of my life,” she said when met at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
Norasyikin was on her way to work when she received the call.
“My mum left for work first in a bus and I was in a van far behind.
“She called me, asking for my help before the line went dead,” she said.
The call left her frantic as the van had stopped as a result of the traffic jam.
The early morning crash involved two factory buses ferrying workers to work.
One of the buses had broken down by the roadside. Another bus following behind failed to stop in time and rammed into it.
Eight factory workers were killed while 33 were injured in the tragedy.
All the deceased are women.
Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the other victims came out of the mortuary wailing after identifying the remains of those killed in a fatal crash.
Many were seen sobbing uncontrollably and had to be consoled.
They were also heard discussing how to tell family members back home in Indonesia.
“How are we gonna tell this to our relatives back home?
“We have lost our relatives,” said an unidentified woman.
Consul General of the Consulate General of Indonesia in Penang Iwanshah Wibisono said the remains of the seven Indonesians, killed in the crash, were in the process of being identified.
The other person killed in the crash is a local woman.
“We have not made any decisions yet. We are still trying to get in touch with their loved ones,” he said when met.