Thirty-seven lives were lost as a bus full of tourists plunged into a gorge in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, on Wednesday afternoon. Post-mortem of the extricated bodies is being conducted and rescue efforts are still ongoing.
A grim sight at the Kuala Kumpur Hospital (HKL) unfolded as distraught relatives were seen gathering to identify and receive bodies of their loved ones which were undergoing the autopsy.
Deputy director-general of Health, Datuk Dr S. Jeyaindran said, ""Each autopsy will require one hour. With 12 forensic specialists, we can work on four bodies per session," reported Bernama.
An HKL spokesperson informed that of the 30 bodies, 17 had already been identified after post-mortem.
The seventeen include 14 Malaysians and three foreigners belonging to Korea, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Six of the 16 people retrieved from the accident site are said to be in critical condition.
A Star report stated that the bus which belonged to Kuala Lumpur-based company Genting Highlands Transport Sdn Bhd had been in a worn-out condition and not fit for plying on the route. The single-decked bus had previously been blacklisted by police prior to the accident.
As salvage efforts at the accident site continued, traffic in the uphill road was divided to enable smooth traffic flow.
The treacherous road where the accident occurred is prone to accidents with fatal twists and turns.
The dead were mainly tourists from the famous Genting Highlands resort situated close to Kuala Lumpur.
