DHAKA: At least 11 workers including six Bangladeshis were killed as the factory bus they were in plunged into a roadside drain in Malaysia.

The accident occurred at 11.10pm (local time) near the MAS Cargo Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at Jalan S8 Pekeliling in Sepang.

Of the Bangladeshis, five were identified as Md Rajib Munshi, 26, Md Sohel, 24, Al Amin, 25, Mohin, 37 and Golam Mostofa, 22.

The 11 dead comprise the Malaysian bus driver and 10 foreign workers; while the injured are made up of two Malaysian women and 30 foreigners. The non-Malaysians hail from Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The bus was ferrying contract workers of the MAS Cargo Complex from their hostel in Nilai, Negri Sembilan to their place of work when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which skidded and crashed into a 10-metre-deep storm drain.

The bus driver and eight workers died on the spot, while two others died while being treated at the Serdang and Putrajaya Hospitals.

“The bus was ferrying 43 passengers, mostly foreign contract workers, with MAS Cargo.
“Nine of the victims, including the 43-year-old bus driver, were confirmed dead at the accident spot.

KLIA district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Adamshah said the workers were supposed to clock in for their 12 midnight work shift.

The cause of the incident is being investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving,” Zulkifli told reporters at the scene of the incident.

Inputs from New Straits Times

BDST: 1218 HRS, APR 8, 2019
SI