JOHOR BARU: The tour bus driver who died in a five-vehicle collision at Km204 of the North-South Expressway (Plus) northbound, near Alor Gajah, Melaka, last night, has been laid to rest.
Noorisnien Khamid, 56, was buried at around 5.30pm at the Kampung Maju Jaya Muslim cemetery.
Earlier, his body arrived at the Masjid Jamek Al-Falah in Kampung Maju Jaya at approximately 4.20pm, transported by a Melaka Hospital hearse after being claimed by his family.
The funeral prayer was held after the Asar prayers before the body was taken to the cemetery for burial. Around 100 family members, relatives, and friends gathered to pay their last respects to the late Noorisnien.
The deceased, who was the seventh of eight siblings, lived in Kampung Tawakal, Kempas.
Noorisnien's eldest son, Mohamad Norzuhairi, 33, said he received a phone call from a friend informing him of the accident that claimed his father's life at around 9.50pm last night.
He said the last communication he had with his father was via WhatsApp last Wednesday, and they last met in October during a cousin's wedding.
"We lived far apart, but we were close and often kept in touch. Dad was quiet, but sometimes he was funny. He could also be strict.
"I regret not being able to fulfil some of my father's requests, as I never expected this tragedy.
"It turns out that the messages he left were his last wishes," he said, accepting his father's passing with patience.
Meanwhile, his second child, Siti Norizyan, 30, said that upon receiving multiple reports about her father's death, she had to verify the information first as she was still in shock.
"I had to call three hospitals in Melaka to get information about my father, but there was no record of his name in any of the emergency departments, which led me to believe he was at the Forensic Department and had passed away.
"My three siblings, my father's grandchild, and I went straight to the Forensic Department to accompany my father's body from there to here," she said.
The accident, which involved a tour bus, two trailers, a multipurpose vehicle (MPV), and a car, reportedly occurred after the bus hit a tyre that had detached from a trailer.
In total, the accident left seven dead and 33 injured, including passengers of the tour bus.