KUALA LUMPUR: "I have lost a son, a fishing companion, and someone to watch football with." These heartfelt words were spoken by the father of the late Ku Adib Aizat, a Universiti Teknologi Mara student who tragically died in an accident alongside three other students last night.
His father, Ku Azmi Saad, an employee at Print Tower Sdn Bhd (PTSB), described his only son as kind-hearted and always ready to help his friends.
"If you ask around, many of his friends will tell you he was always there to lend a hand," he said during an interview following his son's burial at Raudhatul A'liyah Saujana Utama Islamic Cemetery today.
"He would even help friends late at night. One time, he drove a UiTM friend who needed a ride back to Kedah to the commuter station," he recalled.
Ku Azmi also shared that his son had expressed reluctance to accept his degree on stage.
"The last thing I remember him saying was that he didn't want to go on stage because there would be too many people."
He learned of his son's passing through a call from his mother-in-law.
"His friends from UiTM and representatives from the university reached out to inform me about the loss. They also helped us find the earliest flight back to Malaysia, and we managed to secure a flight at 1.55am Jeddah time," he added.
Ku Azmi and his wife, Hafizah Iszahanid, were in the midst of their umrah pilgrimage when the news broke. They arrived back in Malaysia at 3.45pm today.
Their journey was part of Media Prima Bhd's "Program Umrah dan Ziarah 2024".
Media Prima Berhad chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hussian Aljunid and New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd group managing editor Datuk Ahmad Zaini Kamaruzzaman were also present at Ku Adib's burial.
Yesterday, three UiTM Dungun students lost their lives when a Honda CRV SUV, driven by a woman, crashed into their motorcycles at 7.20pm.
The driver, a 49-year-old woman believed to be mentally ill, has been remanded for four days starting today.
The victims included Ku Adib, 20, Khairil Anuar Jamaluddin, 20, also an accounting student, and Mohd Akhmal Tukirin, 20, a hospitality major.
Their friend, Mohd Ammar Danish Mohd Rodhuan, 20, who sustained severe injuries, is being treated at Dungun Hospital and will be transferred to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu for further care.
Ku Adib was laid to rest at Raudhatul A'liyah Saujana Utama Islamic Cemetery, while Khairil Anwar was buried at Ukay Perdana Islamic Cemetery and Mohd Akhmal in Muar, Johor.