Eight female factory workers died and 33 people were injured in an accident near the Juru toll, Penang, in Malaysia, early on Tuesday morning. Two factory buses were involved in the mishap which occurred at KM147 of the North-South Expressway (NSE) towards north.
A team from the Fire and Rescue Department reached the scene at about 6.20 am, 20 minutes after the accident took place. Operation commander A'azelan Hasan stated at 8 am that the number of casualties was eight. The injured victims were rushed to the Sungai Bakap and Seberang Jaya Hospitals for treatment.
Chief Assistant Commissioner of Police Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid, of the Seberang Perai Tengah District Police, stated that one of the factory vehicles skidded in front of the Malaysia-Japan Technical Institute and rammed into the other bus, reported national news agency Bernama.
"Six of the victims were confirmed dead at the scene while two more died on the way to Seberang Jaya Hospital. Their identities are being ascertained," he was quoted saying.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the crash happened. Of the two buses, one had a single casualty, whereas seven women died from the other bus.
The accident occurred when one of the buses stopped on the left side of the road to fix an engine problem. It was carrying Indonesian and Nepalese factory workers. Another bus, carrying 15 workers, skidded and hit the other one, pushing it to the side, as stated by Hamid to the New Straits Times. He also stated that 43 people were involved in the mishap in totality.
People passing by the accident site have posted pictures on social media, giving a glimpse into the horrifying scene.
The major accident that caused a complete standstill near Juru Toll, Penang. Quite horrifying and I just passed by. pic.twitter.com/uCkz6AKrx9
— Rui Zhi (@RuiZhiYap) October 24, 2017
The accident site is still being cleared and restored to normalcy.
