THE owner of a dashcam has come forward to assist in the investigation into the tragic bus accident that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students at Km53 of the Jeli-Gerik Highway here, said Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Noordin.
He said the dashcam owner's statement would be recorded soon, as the footage which is now viral is expected to provide crucial evidence in determining the cause of the crash.
"The dashcam recordings have been submitted and we are leaving it to the investigating officer to review the footage.
"We will record the statement of the dashcam owner," he said, adding that the footage could help clarify key details, including the bus's speed and road conditions at the time of the accident.
He said it was clear that everyone can see how the bus was speeding, and to make things worse, the railing penetrated the bus body directly from the front.
"That's why the passengers on the left side of the bus were the ones who died, as it went straight into the passenger seats.
"Most of the injured passengers sustained injuries to their left shoulders after being thrown from the right side to the left when the bus overturned," he said.
In the 38-second viral video, the bus is seen speeding and attempting to overtake another car before turning on its side and colliding with the rear of a Perodua Alza.
Meanwhile, Noor Hisam also said that the post-mortem on all 15 UPSI students were completed at about 6pm today.
The post-mortem for two of the bodies were conducted at Gerik Hospital and have already been released to Terengganu.
"They were released earlier than the 13 others in Ipoh, while the post-mortem for the other 13 bodies, which were taken to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) here, were also completed at about 6pm," he said.
He said police were waiting for clearance from the hospital authorities to release the bodies to the next-of-kin.
"We plan to escort the bodies using the Gerik-Jeli Expressway, together with contingents from Kelantan and Terengganu.
"We will escort the remains from here, exiting via the Kuala Kangsar route, through Gerik, then on to Jeli, and from Jeli straight to Kuala Terengganu, at the border between Kelantan and Terengganu," he said. - June 9, 2025
