Temerloh crash: Three family members killed on journey home from National Day celebrations

TEMERLOH, Malaysia - A family's joyful return trip home after attending National Day celebrations in Putrajaya turned into tragedy when three members were killed in an 11-vehicle collision at KM110.3 of the East Coast Expressway (LPT1) last night. The victims were father Mohd Kazwan Kassim, 59, his daughter Nur Atiqah Sofiya, 32, and their four-year-old son Muhammad Armaan Nazeef.

Mohd Kazwan recounted that Nur Atiqah had visited Putrajaya with her husband and son to celebrate National Day the previous Friday, sharing photos of the family enjoying the parade. However, he was unaware of the exact time they had departed for Kuantan. In a bid to keep track of his children's whereabouts, he had instructed them to inform him upon their return, rather than before leaving.

Upon hearing news of the accident in Temerloh, Mohd Kazwan initially doubted the involvement of his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. It was only when a friend mentioned his daughter being in the crash and a video showed the white vehicle involved that he confirmed their identities. The fatal crash occurred around 10.50pm, claiming four lives and involving 11 vehicles.

Preliminary police investigations revealed that the accident occurred when a cement tanker lorry lost control and collided with several other vehicles moving slowly on the expressway. The 52-year-old tanker driver and an 18-year-old SUV driver were seriously injured. Eight other vehicles, including a bus carrying 30 passengers, sustained no injuries.

Mohd Hafiz Rifqi Mohd Kazwan, Nur Atiqah's brother, expressed shock at the news. He had seen photos and videos of heavy traffic on his sister's journey back to Kuantan from Putrajaya around 6pm. Upon seeing reports of a multi-vehicle crash on the expressway, he assumed the worst. The three victims' bodies were released to their relatives after post-mortems were completed at 1pm, before being taken to Masjid Paya Lusa for funeral prayers. They will be buried at the Setali Muslim Cemetery in Kuantan.