3 FAMILY MEMBERS AMONG 4 DEAD
They were returning to Kelantan from Pahang when car collided with another
SHARIFAH MAHSINAH ABDULLAH TANAH MERAH sharifahmah@nst.com.my
RUBBER tapper Sidik Awang and his family members were returning to Kelantan yesterday in two cars after a trip to Muadzam Shah in Pahang on Saturday.
They started their journey about 9am on Sunday and stopped at several locations along the coastal areas in Pahang and Kelantan just to enjoy the scenery.
The happy trip, however, turned into a nightmare.
Three of them were killed while two others were seriously injured when one of the cars collided with another vehicle in Kampung Batu 9, near Batang Merbau, early yesterday.
The dead were identified as Sidik’s wife Paridah Ismail, 54; their son Muhammad Saiful, 17, and granddaughter Nur Assyifa’ Muhammad Shaharil, 3.
The injured were Sidik’s other son, Muhammad Shaharil, 31, and daughter Suhaila, 23.
The driver of the other vehicle, Mohd Roza Ismail, 38, was also killed in the accident.
Recalling the 1am incident, Sidik said he was travelling in another car with his son.
“We were travelling in a convoy from Muadzam Shah... we had decided to drive slowly as we planned to stop at several places.
“However, the car I was in was about 10km ahead (on the final leg of our journey). My son and I headed home in Kuala Balah.
“I had an uneasy feeling when I could not see my wife’s car behind us and started calling her.
“When she did not answer my calls, I suspected something amiss, so we decided to turn back,” said the 60-year-old at the Tanah Merah Hospital mortuary here yesterday.
The father of eight said he rushed to the hospital after he received a call from a policeman informing him about the crash.
“My wife, my son and my granddaughter were already dead when I arrived at the hospital.
“I was informed that my other son Shaharil and daughter Suhaila had been warded due to serious head and bodily injuries.”
Tanah Merah police chief Deputy Superintendent Suzaimi Mohamad said Shaharil and his family were travelling from Machang to Jeli when he was believed to have lost control of his vehicle before veering into the opposite lane and colliding with Roza’s car.