ALOR STAR: Express bus driver M. Manivanan, 50, tried to save passengers from his burning vehicle after meeting with an accident at Km75.2 of the North-South Expressway today.
After helping five passengers escape, Manivanan returned to save his younger brother and co-driver Jayakumar, 48.
But as the fire raged inside the bus, he could only watch in vain as the latter's body was engulfed in flames in the driver's seat.
Manivanan said he was taking his shift nap when the accident involving his bus and a lorry-trailer occurred. He was awakened by a loud bang and the screaming of passengers.
"First thing I noticed was fire spreading from the fuel tank and black smoke was accumulating inside the bus, so my first move was to get all passengers out through the emergency door.
"I then noticed my unconscious brother wedged between the steering wheel and his seat. I tried putting out the flames using a fire extinguisher, but it was to no avail.
"As the fire raged on, I struggled to free him while calling his name, but he barely responded. In the end, I watched helplessly as his body was consumed by flames," he said at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital Forensics Department here today.
The 4am tragedy claimed the life of Jayakumar, a father of two from Selama, Perak, while two passengers sustained minor injuries.
The charred remains of Jayakumar was found pinned to his seat after firefighters extinguished the fire.
Guar Chempedak Fire Station chief Mohd Fauzi Razali said two other passengers and the 32-year-old lorry-trailer driver escaped unhurt.
Manivanan said he and his brother were driving from Terminal Bas Selatan in Kuala Lumpur to Hat Yai in Thailand.
He said he was still traumatised, with vivid images of his burning brother going through his mind.
"Before the incident, everything was fine. At 2.30am, it was time for my brother to take over the wheel when we stopped at Alor Pongsu in Perak.
"We also stopped the bus for a break at a mamak restaurant in Butterworth, Penang, where we had a really nice meal. Little did I know those were the last moments we would have together," he added.
He said he didn't know how the crash happened and hoped for a thorough investigation into the incident.
"I was asleep when it happened in a flash. All I can say is that me and my brother are highly experienced bus drivers. He has been driving for more than 10 years and I have been for more than 20 years," he said.
He said Jayakumar, the fifth sibling in a family of 10, left behind a wife and two teenagers.
"We will bring my brother's remains to our mother's house in Padang Serai, where we will proceed with the funeral," he added.
Kuala Muda police chief Zaidy Che Hassan confirmed that the police had received a report regarding the incident.
He said preliminary investigations found that the bus had hit the trailer's rear-end, causing the bus to veer off and crash into the left road barrier.
"Further investigations will be conducted," he added.