KUALA BERANG, Dec 7 — The accident involving a sports utility vehicle (SUV) at Kilometre 52 of Jalan Kuala Jeneris-Sungai Gawi-Aring (Bukit Kawah) last Friday is believed to have been caused by negligence, according to police.
Hulu Terengganu district police chief Supt Sharudin Abd Wahab said investigations showed that no brake marks were found at the scene.
Speaking to Bernama, he said the SUV was believed to have entered a stretch of road that had been cut off before plunging into a 61-metre-deep ravine.
“Investigations at the scene also found that the vehicle was not travelling at high speed, based on the debris found.
“Usually, if a vehicle is driven at high speed, it would skid before going over. But based on the debris found on the slope, we believe the vehicle was not moving fast and had continued straight into the ravine.
“We believe the accident was caused by negligence, with the driver not paying full attention while driving,” he said.
In the incident around 5.30 pm, a couple who were soon to be married died after the SUV they were in plunged into a ravine.
The accident is believed to have occurred when the vehicle, travelling from Hulu Terengganu towards Gua Musang, entered a road that had been closed due to a landslide.
Sharudin said the operation to retrieve the vehicle from the ravine yesterday took almost four hours due to heavy rain.
“The vehicle was taken to the Hulu Terengganu District Police Headquarters (IPD) for investigation and further action,” he said.
According to Sharudin, an inspection of the vehicle found a dashcam bracket, but the camera device was missing and was believed to have been dislodged during the incident.
Meanwhile, he said the police would be monitoring the site and would take legal action against anyone found removing the warning or safety signs installed there.
Sharudin said authorities had placed several warning signs and concrete barriers at the site, but they had been removed by irresponsible parties. – BERNAMA
