BENTONG: A private university student, Muhammad Rufiq Qayyin, 20, had never imagined that his journey back home to Kuantan for the festive season would end in tragedy, as the bus he was traveling in overturned at Kilometer 51.3 of the KL-Karak Highway earlier this morning.
Recalling the accident, Muhammad Rufiq claimed to have noticed that the bus was speeding prior to the accident.
"The bus was speeding on the right lane before it collided with the road divider and swerved before overturning," he explained.
He attributed the incident to the wet road conditions caused by rain.
"At that time, the road was wet due to rain. The bus was on the right side (lane).
"When we reached the bend, I felt the rear of the bus seemed to sway before overturning," he added.
During the incident, he described the atmosphere inside the bus as relatively quiet as most passengers were asleep.
However, the situation changed in an instant.
"At that time, most passengers were asleep. During the accident, I didn't know what to do because my seat was by the window, so I just resigned myself to it.
"After the accident, I saw some passengers unconscious, some helping others who were trapped and pinned, and some screaming," he said when met at the Bentong District Police headquarters.
He was among the passengers who provided statements to the police regarding the express bus accident.
In the 8 am accident, two passengers, both foreign nationals, were killed, while two others, including the bus driver, sustained serious injuries.
Eleven other victims suffered minor injuries and were all transported to Bentong Hospital for further treatment.
Initial investigations showed that the express bus had departed from the Integrated Bus Terminal South (TBS) en route to Kuantan.