18 passengers truck turn turtle

KOTA MARUDU: An overloaded Hilux pickup driven by an unlicensed driver with 18 onboard overturned killing three children and injuring 15 others at Kampung Marak-Parak early yesterday.

The victims are identified as SK Marak-Parak pupils Majurie bin Maurie, and Veronica binti Simon, both nine, and Juhainti binti Dino, 15. Two of the injured who were seriously hurt are Azura Maurie, 10, and Normilah Kamawin, 11. They are receiving treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The other 13 victims received outpatient treatment.

District public order chief and traffic, C/Insp Mohamediah Sani said the driver of the pickup allegedly lost control as it was traveling downhill before it turned turtle in the 5.30am tragedy.

“Three of the 18 passengers died instantly,” he said adding that the 26-year-old driver was suspected to be suffering from a hangover after a drinking binge the night before.

“We are still determining whether he (the driver) was under the influence when the accident occurred,” he said. According to him, police had taken blood sample from the suspect who did not possess a driving licence. “We have sent his blood sample to the Chemist Department for analysis,” he said.

The suspect remains in police custody as they pieced together the sequence that led to the tragedy.

It is learnt that the suspect a rubber tapper had offered rides to the children who were walking to their school. Some of the children were accompanied by their mothers who were out for their chores. It is the second deadly road mishap which killed four lives this year.