Three passengers died at the scene and one more succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Another 11 passengers were seriously injured. The tanker driver died while being treated at the Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat.
It was reported that the front right tyre of the tanker punctured and the vehicle crashed through the divider before ramming into the two buses in the opposite lane. Actually, it was the tube that burst, causing instant deflation and there was no way the driver could steer the tanker at cruising speed.
Car tyres have gone tubeless for decades and many motorists are driving around with punctured tyres without knowing until they get flat. Unless it is a severe cut, a screw embedded in a tubeless tyre may only be discovered days later as the rate of deflation can be very slow, whereas a punctured tube would be noticed straightaway.
As such, it is imperative that the front tyres of heavy vehicles be switched to tubeless. Although the rims may have to be changed, the onetime investment would be worth it. In tour buses, it is common to find the tourist guide standing precariously in front of the centre aisle addressing the passengers.
He could be turned into a human cannonball and fly through the windscreen should the driver slam hard on the brakes to prevent a collision. Tour buses should have a jump seat for the guide to be seated and seat belts fastened when giving running commentaries facing the passengers.
Although a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher are mandatory on board all buses, they would be inadequate in a major accident. Buses should have an extinguisher near the driver and another inside the luggage compartment. The drivers could also add 10 pieces of triangular cloth which could be used as bandages for first-aid to stop excessive bleeding or prevent further damage to broken bones.
The government should sponsor intermediate level courses so that more people can render first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), especially tour bus drivers and tourist guides.
For the injured victims, every minute may seem longer than an hour when they wait helplessly for some relief.
The two tow truck drivers who ran a kilometre to reach the scene claimed that they were the first to arrive, and reported a few passengers were unconscious while some were screaming in pain.
If this was true, then the other motorists caught in the jam were just waiting near their cars for rescue workers to arrive.
But they are not entirely to be blamed as one needs training in order to be prepared for giving real help.
Many accident victims suffered more injuries when they were roughly carried away by those with nothing more than good intentions.
