JERTIH: A lorry transporting the personal belongings of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students who died in the tragic road crash near Tasik Banding in Gerik, Perak, arrived safely at the Hadhari Mosque compound here this morning.
Head of the mission, Prof Dr Mohd Azlan Nafiah, said the belongings were immediately handed over to the next of kin waiting at the mosque compound upon the lorry’s arrival at 10.30 am.
“The items included clothing from rooms at five residential colleges, four motorcycles used by the students, as well as several laptops and notebooks,” he said when met at the Hadhari Mosque compound here.
Mohd Azlan said the mission was coordinated by the UPSI Community Transformation Centre and the university’s Undergraduate Police Volunteer Corps (Suksis).
He added that for families who were unable to be present at the mosque, the team personally delivered the belongings to their respective homes.
In the incident early Monday morning, 15 UPSI students were killed when the bus they were travelling in overturned at KM53 of the East-West Highway, near Tasik Banding, Gerik. The crash also left 33 people injured.
The chartered bus had departed from Jertih, Terengganu, at 9 pm on Sunday and was heading to the university’s campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak, when the accident occurred.
Meanwhile, Norinda Kasim, 49, the mother of one of the victims, said her longing for her daughter, Nur Dalila Farhana Mohamad Isma, grew stronger when she opened her daughter’s luggage and found a pink blouse that she often wore.
“I also have a blouse with the same pattern, but mine is blue and hers was pink. Her scent still lingers. I will never forget it,” she said in tears as she hugged and kissed her daughter’s clothes.
The housewife said there were moments when she forgot her daughter was gone, and it still felt as though 21-year-old Nur Dalila Farhana was at home, keeping her company as usual.
Norinda said that although Nur Dalila Farhana was the eldest of three siblings, she had always been very close to her and often shared stories, including about her life at university.
