IPOH: Police will apply for a remand order against the driver involved in the fatal bus crash that tragically claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students once he is discharged from the hospital.

Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the 40-year-old man’s blood sample was also collected for toxicology analysis at Gerik Hospital yesterday.

“The sample has been sent to the Chemistry Department, and we are awaiting confirmation of the results.

“He is currently receiving treatment at Taiping Hospital, so we will wait until he is discharged before proceeding with the remand application,” he told Bernama today.

Meanwhile, Noor Hisam confirmed that all 13 bodies that underwent post-mortems at the Forensic Department of Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh yesterday arrived at Masjid Hadhari, Jertih, Terengganu at around 3 am today.

Preliminary police investigations have found that the crash occurred when the students’ bus collided with the rear end of a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle, causing the bus to overturn.

Noor Hisam said the bus was carrying 42 students from the East Coast, all aged between 21 and 23.

He said the Kedah registered bus had been chartered by the students and departed from Jertih at 9 pm last Sunday to their campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak.

The accident occurred at KM53 of the East-West Highway, near Tasik Banding in Gerik.