2 dead after tour bus in Genting Highlands overturns; driver didn't have license
Two Chinese nationals were killed when a tour bus, driven by a man with no driving licence, overturned while travelling downhill from Genting Highlands on June 29, reported New Straits Times (NST).
The tour bus was carrying 21 people - 18 Chinese tourists and three Malaysians - when the accident occurred at about 10.40am.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Wan Mohamad Zaidi Wan Isa told The Star that both male victims suffered head injuries, and their bodies were taken to Bentong Hospital.
The department's deputy director of operations Ismail Abdul Ghani said that the two victims were trapped in the vehicle, while the other passengers managed to exit the vehicle with light injuries, NST reported.
Gaming giant Genting Malaysia, which runs an integrated resort in Genting Highlands, said in a statement that the tour bus, which was ferrying Chinese tourists from Yunnan, was owned by a third-party operator.
The 32-year-old bus driver was driving without a licence, said the Bentong district police chief, Superintendent Zaiham Mohd Kahar, adding that the man had been issued 27 traffic summonses.
The latest accident was a "stark reminder of the persistent road safety issues" facing Malaysia, said Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, chairman of the Alliance for a Safe Community.
"Similar accidents have occurred, prompting investigations and the submission of detailed reports to the relevant authorities," he told NST. "These reports contain recommendations aimed at preventing future tragedies, but the goal of achieving zero accidents along the Genting Highlands route remains unmet."
Mr Lee also emphasised the need to implement and adhere to safety protocols. "This is crucial. Unless these rules, regulations and standard operating procedures are put into practice, accidents will persist," he said.
Several deadly bus accidents have occurred along the Genting Highlands route, with one of the worst reported in August 2013, when 37 people died after a bus with 53 on board plunged into a 60m ravine.
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In February 2023, seven people died while seven others suffered injuries after a chartered van crashed into a concrete divider on its way down the winding roads in Genting Highlands.
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