19 people taken to hospital in Malaysia after express bus travelling from Ipoh to Singapore overturned

Nineteen people were taken to hospital after a double-decker bus traveling from Ipoh to Singapore skidded and overturned in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Jul 21).

The bus, which was carrying 24 passengers, crashed into a concrete road divider before it overturned. The driver had lost control of the wheel, said Kuala Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim.

The incident occurred at about 12.05 am.

Azim said 19 passengers were injured and taken to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment. Two bus drivers and five passengers were unharmed.

A Kuala Lumpur fire and rescue department spokesman said 18 personnel from the Hang Tuah and Sentul fire and rescue stations rushed to the scene following a distress call at 12.17am.

“Upon arriving at the scene, the rescue team found that the accident involved a double-decker express bus that was traveling from Ipoh, Perak.

“The rescue team had to break the windscreen of the bus to remove all the victims,” he said on Friday.

Azim said the two drivers of the double-decker bus were taken in for questioning and released at 4.45am after police recorded their statements.

He added that blood and urine samples of the two drivers were taken for toxicology tests by Malaysia’s department of chemistry.

The case was investigated under the Road Transport Act, said Azmi.

He also urged witnesses of the incident to contact the police to facilitate investigations.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES