Three siblings were killed in a road accident involving the motorcycle they were riding and a lorry in Pontian, Johor, on Thursday morning.
The victims were two boys aged eight and 11, and their 18-year-old brother. They were believed to have been heading to school when the crash happened along Jalan Parit Haji Sirat at around 7am. Their mother, Julaiha Munaji, 43, said she had actually told the two younger children, Fikri and Puteri, not to go to school because schools across Johor had been closed due to the haze.
However, the siblings insisted on going. Their older brother, Aiman, eventually took them on his motorcycle so they could see for themselves that the school was closed.
CCTV footage at the school later showed the three siblings arriving before turning around and heading back home. Their house was only about 2km from the school, but they never made it back.
Julaiha said a passer-by who was on his way to work later informed the family that her children had been involved in an accident near their home, only about 200 metres away. Her husband and eldest child rushed to the scene, while the three siblings were later taken to Hospital Pontian.
Three siblings killed on way home from school
Pontian district police chief Superintendent Hadzrat Hussien Mion Hussain confirmed the incident, saying investigations were ongoing and police would issue further details in due course.
The crash happened on the first day of a two-day school closure across Johor, which was ordered following worsening air quality caused by haze.
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