TUARAN: Allegations that the road at the scene of the accident that killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students early yesterday morning was damaged with potholes are untrue, said Deputy Minister of Works Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
He said that although the road in question was not 100 per cent flat, it was in good condition and was last maintained on Friday (June 6).
“Irresponsible people have spread rumours that the accident occurred because potholes on the road caused the bus tyre to burst, leading to the tragedy. I would like to state that there was no punctured tyre and there were no potholes on that section.
“It is not appropriate to spread false news on social media that arouses dissatisfaction, especially with the Public Works Department (JKR) which is carrying out the road repair work as it is a federal road,“ he told reporters after visiting the slope project at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanghilan, here today.
In the incident early yesterday morning, 15 UPSI students died when the bus they were travelling in overturned in an accident at KM53 of the East-West Highway (JRTB), near Tasik Banding, Gerik.
The bus specially hired by the students involved departed from Jertih, Terengganu at 9 pm on Sunday and was on its way to their campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak before being involved in the accident.
Ahmad said a check at the location showed that there is a road sign warning of a bend ahead in the area.
“However, whatever happens, we will leave it to the special task force to investigate the accident. We do not want to make accusations, especially about technical issues,“ he said.
He stated that, according to a study by the Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute (MIROS), 80 per cent of accidents in this country are caused by driver negligence.
Another 13 per cent are caused by road conditions, while 7 per cent are due to vehicle problems.
