Siti Shakira was preparing to celebrate her birthday when she received the news that her father and two younger sisters had been killed in a crash involving an Immigration Department truck in Kuala Lumpur.
Shaik Mohd Firdaus Shaikh Yahya, 53, and his daughters Siti Norshazlin, 25, and Siti Darwisyah Auni, 12, died at the scene when the truck allegedly ran a red light at the Jalan Sultan Ismail intersection early on 20 August. Shaik’s wife, Norhayati, 55, was injured and taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
In a Facebook post on 22 August, Shakira, the eldest daughter, said she was struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss, which came a day before her birthday.
“Ya Allah, I cannot cope with all this, but I am trying to stay strong. I am staying strong for my mother,” she wrote, as reported by NST.
The family of five from Kampar, Perak, had travelled to Kuala Lumpur to visit relatives. Shakira said her father would often ask, “Along, let’s eat,” while Siti Norshazlin would invite her to the night market and Siti Darwisyah Auni would ask her to buy her something.
“I had only them in this world. Whenever I went anywhere, I went with them,” Shakira wrote.
The crash occurred at about 1am when an empty Immigration Department lorry was travelling from the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Office to Chow Kit for an operation against undocumented migrants, Malay Mail reported. The lorry allegedly entered the intersection while the traffic light was red, with its beacon lights and siren activated.
A Proton Saga driven by a 50-year-old man, travelling through the intersection on a green light, collided with the lorry. The impact caused the lorry to skid and hit four pedestrians and an Inokom Matrix.
Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief ACP Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa identified the victims as Shaik, Siti Norshazlin, and Siti Darwisyah Auni. He confirmed the family was from Kampar, Perak.
On Thursday, the lorry driver, Mohd Akbar Zainol, was charged in the Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court with five offences. These included three charges under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing the deaths of the three family members, and one charge under Section 43(1) of the same Act for reckless and inconsiderate driving resulting in injuries to Norhayati.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was granted bail of RM60,000.
Shakira said she would remain strong for her mother, who was also injured in the crash, and hoped she would recover soon. She expressed gratitude for the public’s support and prayers, saying she was comforted by the positive things people had shared about her father and sisters.
“I did not realise they were so loved. I am happy that so many people are praying for them and love them,” she wrote.
