THIRTEEN students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) were among 28 passengers who endured a harrowing early morning accident when their express bus rear-ended a trailer on the East Coast Expressway (LPT) near Maran in Pahang.
Hot on the heels of the Gerik UPSI bus tragedy, the incident occurred around 1am at Kilometre 161.5 of the eastbound carriageway. The force of the impact caused the trailer to veer off the road and into a nearby ditch. All bus passengers were safely transferred to another vehicle to continue their journey to Terminal Sentral Kuantan.
UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr Yatimah Alias, confirmed the students were travelling from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in Kuala Lumpur at 8.30pm, bound for the UMPSA Gambang stop in Kuantan when the crash happened near Maran.
“We are thankful that all passengers were unharmed, and our students arrived safely at campus around 4am,” she said.
She added that immediate assistance was provided by the university’s Student Representative Council (MPP) and the Department of Student and Alumni Affairs (JHEPA), who received the affected students at the UMPSA Gambang mosque with food, emotional support, and temporary accommodation.
Maran District Police Chief, Superintendent Wong Kim Wai, stated that preliminary investigations indicate the express bus struck the rear of the trailer while both vehicles were heading towards Kuantan.
“The collision occurred while the bus was in the left lane. The driver is believed to have lost control and rammed into the trailer ahead,” he said in a statement today.
No injuries were reported, and all passengers were moved to a replacement bus for the remainder of the journey.
Superintendent Wong noted that initial findings suggest the accident was due to the bus driver’s failure to maintain a safe following distance. The case is being investigated under Rule 10 of the LN 166/59 for failing to control a vehicle. - June 10, 2025
