9 Singaporeans injured in tour bus crash after leaving Genting Highlands

 Malaysia: At least nine Singaporeans were injured after the tour bus they were travelling in overturned on a highway near Bukit Tinggi in Malaysia on Wednesday afternoon (Aug 31).

The Grassland Express & Tours bus was carrying 12 passengers, all from Singapore, reports said. They were heading home from Genting Highlands when the accident happened.

Bernama news agency quoted Gombak police chief ACP Ali Ahmad as saying that the crash occurred during dry weather, and that the driver of the bus was not speeding. According to a Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, the bus is believed to have skidded before hitting a road divider and overturning.

The injured Singaporeans were taken to four hospitals - Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Sungai Buloh Hospital, Bentong Hospital and Selayang Hospital, the spokesman said.

The injured included a man and his daughter who sustained serious head and body injuries, Bernama said. The man’s wife and son, identified only as Naven, 19, sustained minor injuries.

Naven, a firefighter in Singapore, said his mother was injured in the hand and leg. His father and sister were warded at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, he said.

Speaking from the Bentong Hospital's emergency department, he said the crash occurred about 30 minutes after the family had boarded the bus to return to Singapore. "I was sleeping at that time when I heard the bus ram into the road divider before overturning," he said.

A spokesman of the Malaysian Highway Authority said the accident caused a massive traffic jam which stretched more than 9km. "The accident obstructed all major lanes, and only an emergency lane was open while firemen were removing the bus," he added.

A spokesperson for Grassland told Channel NewsAsia that a representative from the company has arrived in Malaysia to assess the situation. He added that as of Thursday afternoon, the extent of the injuries of those in hospital cannot be ascertained. The spokesperson also said the company has contacted the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, which has rendered assistance to some of the injured.