DECEMBER 7, 2009: KOTA BARU: Two shoppers were killed after a runaway car in an open air parking lot of a mall smashed through a retaining wall before plunging down three stories onto an escalator.
Another shopper was seriously injured in the freak accident that occurred at 4.45pm when the mall in Jalan Hamzah was packed with weekend patrons.
Nurain Said, who was driving the car when it plunged, miraculously survived the 54m fall.
The dead have been identified as trainee nurses Siti Nuramira Shamsuddin, 19, and Siti Nurdiana Azman, 18, from a local college. Both died on the spot after being hit by falling debris.
District OCPD Asst Comm Zahruddin Abdullah said the first driver of the car – identified only as Sabri – had earlier got out of the vehicle, which had stalled at the parking lot.
He said Sabri then told his 17-year-old sister Nurain to get behind the wheel while he pushed the car in an attempt to jumpstart the engine.
ACP Zahruddin said while Sabri was pushing the car, the engine suddenly started, causing the car to lunge forward and smash into the retaining wall, which also served as the building’s ventilation airway.
He said Siti Nuramira who was on the second floor of the building and Siti Nurdiana who was standing on the ground floor, close to the escalator, could have died after being crushed by concrete debris.
“We are looking for Sabri and another woman identified as Nurul Atikah to help in the investigations,” ACP Zahruddin added.
Meanwhile, Siti Nuramira’s father Shamsuddin Abdul Rahman, 52, said she had asked him to deposit RM50 into her bank account before the incident.
“The last time I saw her was during the Aidiladha celebrations. She called me three times the day before the incident to enquire about my well-being.
“There was nothing strange about her. She only informed me that she needed some money and asked me to bank in RM50 for her. That was it,” he said when met at the mortuary at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital here last night.
Shamsuddin said he did not realise it was the last request his daughter, who was the third of six children, made. The family was from Felda Chiku, Gua Musang.
A witness, Hazura Ariffin, 25, said she heard a loud bang that shook the building.
“I thought it was an earthquake. I was shocked to see the wrecked car lying in the middle of the mall between the escalators,” she said.
Another witness, Johan Salleh, 47, said he was on the ground floor and saw the car plunging down.
“I was able to drag my son away but he remained traumatised,” he said.
(source taken from: http://thestar.com.my)
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December 8, 2009:
KOTA BARU: Two people, including a schoolgirl, have been detained in connection with Sunday's incident where two nursing students were crushed to death by a car at the KB Mall shopping complex here.
A man, in his 20s, was picked up at about 3pm Monday while the 17-year-old schoolgirl, who had earlier undergone treatment at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital for minor injuries, was nabbed at her house in the night.
It is understood that the teenager, who did not have a driver's licence, was in the driver's seat and the man was 'push-starting' the car when it failed to start at the mall's third floor car park.
At that juncture, the schoolgirl allegedly accelerated, causing the car to ram into the brick wall of the car park and plunged into the shopping concourse about 5pm.
In the incident, Masterskill College of Nursing and Health students Siti Nor Amira Samsuddin, 19, and Siti Nor Diana Azman, 18, were killed. Four others were injured.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the suspects were remanded for several days to facilitate investigations.
He said initial investigations revealed that the brick wall was not reinforced, leading to the car plunging into the concourse.
It is understood that the car, a Ford Laser TX3, was borrowed from a friend to enable the suspects to go shopping. - Bernama
(source taken from: http://thestar.com.my)
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source: Thank you and credits to http://thestar.com.my and all sources for the information and pictures)
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