[Watch] Dashcam Footage Emerges Of Fatal Bus Crash That Killed 15 UPSI Students
Multiple dashcam videos captured the final moments, showing the bus moving at high speed, seemingly overtaking aggressively on curves, and eventually losing control before sliding on its side with sparks flying.
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Dashcam videos have emerged showing the final moments before a deadly bus crash on the Jeli-Gerik highway that killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students and injured 30 others.
One of the footage, recorded at 12:57 AM, shows the bus moving at high speed and seemingly overtaking other vehicles dangerously before losing control on a curve.
The bus was carrying mostly university students returning to campus after Hari Raya holiday when it flipped over and slid across the highway.
The 29-second dashcam footage shows the bus driving at high speed and following other cars too closely before overtaking them.
When the bus approached a gentle right curve in the road, it began drifting toward the shoulder.
The vehicle then lost control completely and overturned, sliding on its side for three seconds before coming to a stop.
Sparks fly as the bus scraped along the road surface, with windows shattering during the crash.
Second Angle Emerges
Meanwhile, another dashcam video from a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction has emerged, providing a clearer view of the bus’s movements moments before the crash.
The footage shows the bus seemingly overtaking other vehicles dangerously on a sharp corner despite the dark, winding road conditions.
The witness placed responsibility squarely on the driver: “I blame the driver. During a curve, he still insisted on overtaking. That road isn’t one-way, it’s a two-way road. What’s wrong with driving a bit slower, Allah…”
This second angle reinforced witness accounts of the bus driver’s alleged dangerous driving behaviour, showing it overtaking multiple vehicles on the narrow, winding road just before the fatal collision.
Eyewitness: Bus Was Driving Erratically
A witness, Muhammad Aiman, was driving on the same highway and recorded the dashcam footage.
He said the bus had been following him for several kilometres before the crash.
I only followed for a short while, about 15 minutes, because I was about to turn into my housing area. Before entering the housing area at Bukit Bunga ICQS (Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex), and after he overtook me at high speed at Bukit Bunga, I saw him overtaking other cars as well.
Aiman slowed down to keep a distance from the erratic bus before it disappeared ahead and crashed.
The dashcam footage has led to a debate on social media about the responsibilities of witnesses to road accidents.
Critics expressed disappointment that witnesses didn’t stop to help, while others who defend the dashcam owner explained the practical challenges.
Owner dashcam dah serah pun rakaman dekat polis. Itu pun dah membantu. Plus tempat kejadian kawasan berselekoh, gelap dengan sisi jalan yang sempit. Tak ada tempat untuk berhenti and bahaya jugak sbb ada risiko kereta dari belakang pulak datang hentam. https://t.co/Z2I1juaNp5 pic.twitter.com/DQeALzwWHR
— ALAN KENA SABAR (@IniAlalalannn) June 9, 2025
The Driver Who Said No
Bus driver Mat Seman Che Lah was originally scheduled to drive that night but declined the job to travel home with his family instead.
“They wanted me to drive the university students that night,” Mat Seman said.
But I told them I couldn’t because we were driving back to Kuala Lumpur.
A replacement driver, Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle took over the route.
The next morning, Mat Seman’s family learned about the crash while having breakfast and watching the news.
Meanwhile, a surviving student has come forward with disturbing details about the driver’s behaviour in the moments leading up to the fatal crash.
According to her account, the driver appeared visibly angry before the bus began swerving erratically on the road.
@utusanonline 'Saya dengar pemandu bas marah-marah ' – Pelajar UPSI #trendingnewsmalaysia #UPSI ♬ original sound – Utusan Malaysia
Driver Apologises, Claims Brake Failure as Police Reveal Traffic Violations
Mohd Amirul, 39, apologised to victims’ families and claimed the fatal crash occurred when his bus brakes suddenly failed near the elephant crossing bridge in Gerik.
The driver, who has been driving since 2016, said he shouted warnings to students and desperately tried to avoid other vehicles for over a kilometre before the bus overturned, explaining that what appeared to be reckless overtaking was his attempt to prevent colliding with other cars.
He stated that after regaining consciousness from the crash, he crawled out through the broken windscreen and helped students escape while feeling devastated by the tragedy that claimed 15 lives.
Police have confirmed the driver had 18 outstanding traffic summonses, including 13 for speeding violations, while the bus itself had 21 traffic offence records.
The driver, currently hospitalised in Taiping, Perak, with a broken left hand awaiting surgery, maintains this was his first fatal accident and has left the investigation to the police.
Nation Mourns as Sultan of Perak Calls for Action
As the nation mourns the tragic loss of the 15 UPSI students, the Sultan of Perak has called for immediate preventive measures following the increasing frequency of fatal road accidents.
Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has decreed that this deadly crash on the East-West Highway should serve as a lesson, according to a statement by Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja Meor Hezbullah Meor Abd Malik.
The Sultan has ordered authorities to identify existing weaknesses and implement improvements, particularly in law enforcement and regulations, to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
Among the victims was a young man who had prepared a special flower arrangement as a birthday gift for his mother just days before the fatal crash.
Muhammad Aiman Hazman Halim, 32, said his late brother Adib had created the flower arrangement as a token of love for their 69-year-old mother to celebrate her birthday, which the family had celebrated together the previous Sunday.
Adib really enjoyed creating various arrangements. Previously, he had also made arrangements for our sister when she completed her Police Volunteer training.
Meanwhile, social media continues to be flooded with videos of the remains being transported for burial and images of the wrecked bus, with many people stopping to watch by the roadside as the hearses pass by.
@seadapseani suasana hiba dan sayu menyambut ketibaan rombongan konvoi 13 jenazah pelajar UPSI
♬ Kau Sahabat Kau Teman – Hijjaz
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