5 Bangladeshi workers among 11 killed in Malaysia road crash

At least 11 people including five Bangladeshi nationals were killed when a bus carrying workers fell into a monsoon drain after taking wrong exit near MASKargo in Kuala Lumpur International Airport of Malaysia last night.

The bus driver, who was also killed in the accident was going the wrong way, Malaysia-based news website The Star Online reports quoting KLIA OCPD Asst Comm Zulkifli Adamshah.

The 43-year-old driver should have taken the three o’clock exit at the roundabout near the incident, but took the 12 o’clock exit instead, the KLIA OCPD asst comm said.

“He was supposed to take the three o’clock exit which leads to MASKargo, where the workers he was transporting were supposed to go, but he took the wrong exit”.

“The accident took place about 200 metres from the roundabout. We are investigating why he took the wrong turn; whether it was a mistake or not,” he said when met at the Serdang hospital forensic department on Monday (April 8).

Five were seriously injured, while others suffered light injuries in the 11:10pm (local time) accident on Sunday (April 7).

A source at the foreign ministry said, the five Bangladeshi victims were identified as Sohel, 24, and Alamin, 25, of Chandpur district; Mahin, 37, and Md Rajib Munshi, 27, of Cumilla district; and Golam Mostafa of Noakhali district.

The bus was carrying 43 passengers, who were MASKargo contract workers, from their hostel in Putra Nilai, Negri Sembilan, to their place of work when the incident occurred.

The deceased also included two Nepalese men, and three Indonesian women, the Star Online reports.

“The driver does not have any traffic records on his name and his licence is valid. A post-mortem is being conducted currently,” the KLIA OCPD asst comm said.

“We are looking at everything, including the state of the bus and the driver to determine the cause of the accident,” he said.

The driver’s relative, met at Serdang hospital, who declined to be named, said the driver, Suresh, is survived by his wife and three children.

The remaining 34 passengers were sent to several hospitals, including Kajang, Serdang and Putrajaya hospitals for treatment.

Fire and Rescue Department personnel took about an hour to reach the victims, as they had to cut through several parts of the bus.