Stop Speculating About Tragic Accident That Claimed Lives Of Six Family Members - Police

ALOR SETAR, June 7 (Bernama) -- Police reminded members of the public to not speculate about the incident that claimed the lives of six family members during a tragic accident in Pinang Tunggal, near Sungai Petani, today.

Kedah Police Chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah requested that the public give space to the police to conduct a full investigation to determine the actual cause of the incident, which is believed to have occurred around 3:50 pm today, involving a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a lorry carrying soil.

"The SUV, carrying seven family members including a police officer, was heading towards Sungai Petani on their way to Merbok to visit the graves of other family members, while the lorry, driven by a 49-year-old local man, was heading towards Tikam Batu.

"The accident caused six of the family members to lose their lives, while another three-year-old girl sustained severe injuries to her face," he told reporters at the Forensic Department of Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah here tonight.

He said that the accident, which quickly went viral on social media, has led to a lot of irresponsible speculation, including members of the public privately sending him WhatsApp messages containing false information.

"Some people told me that the lorry driver was drunk and also brought up the driver's race... here, I would like to inform that the victims are Malay and the lorry driver is also a Malay, so such actions are highly irresponsible.

"Preliminary investigations also revealed that the lorry was being driven at only 60 kilometers per hour (km/h), but there are also parties saying that the vehicle (X50) might have had issues because it was just recently delivered, as it is still a new car, so we will investigate all aspects including sending the SUV to the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom) for further inspection," he said.

In the meantime, Adzli said the lorry driver's urine screening turned out negative; however, he does have a record of seven prior summons.

"Even though he was driving within the speed limit of 60 km/h and possesses a valid driving license, the driver has been detained and will be remanded tomorrow to assist in the investigation of the case. The case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987," he said.

The six who died in the tragic accident were identified as: Ahmad Syafiq Ahmad Shukri, 29, Ahmad Fahim Ahmad Shukri, 21, Jamaliah Sannusi, 29, Nora Mohd Husin, 55, Iskandar Affan Ibrahim, 7 and Ahmad Mikail Ahmad Syafiq, 2 months, while the injured victim is Aulia Sofea Ahmad Syafiq, 3.

It is understood that all the victims were on their way to Merbok from Kepala Batas, Penang.

-- BERNAMA