KUANTAN, Jan 19 — Another Bangladeshi oil palm plantation worker has been reported dead after the lorry he was travelling in skidded off the road in a crash along Jalan Selancar–Redong near Kampung Perwira Jaya, Rompin, on Saturday.
Rompin District Police chief Supt Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said the death of the man, identified as Mohamad Askar, 41, at 4.15 pm today at Segamat Hospital, Johor, brought the total number of fatalities from the crash to three.
“The victim, who was a rear passenger of the lorry, had earlier sustained severe head injuries and was taken to the hospital, while two other compatriots died at the scene of the crash yesterday,” he said in a statement tonight.
Meanwhile, he said the driver of the lorry carrying oil palm pesticides, who was uninjured and did not possess a driving licence, was remanded for four days starting today to assist investigations under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
He said urine screening tests on the 45-year-old Bangladeshi driver were negative for drugs.
Yesterday, the media reported that the incident at 2.25 pm resulted in the deaths of two Bangladeshi nationals, namely the front passenger of the lorry, Md Kader, 34, and a rear passenger, Md Dalim, 30.
The crash is believed to have occurred when the lorry driver, who was ferrying the three passengers, attempted to overtake a car but lost control, causing the lorry skid to the left side of the road and overturn. — Bernama