At least 15 killed in bus crash on East-West Highway in Malaysia

A collision involving a student bus and a vehicle on Malaysia’s East-West Highway has left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured, prompting condolences and support directives from national authorities.

At least 15 people lost their lives when a bus carrying students was involved in a collision with a multipurpose vehicle early Monday morning along the East-West Highway in Malaysia's Perak state, according to authorities cited by Xinhua.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:10 a.m. local time and involved 48 individuals in total. Thirteen victims were pronounced dead at the scene, the Civil Defense Force confirmed in an official statement. Two additional individuals succumbed to their injuries after being transported to hospital, as reported by national news agency Bernama.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

In response to the tragedy, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended his condolences to the families of those who died and directed the Ministry of Higher Education to coordinate support efforts for the affected families.

Emergency response teams and law enforcement are continuing to work at the scene, and authorities have urged the public to avoid the area to facilitate rescue and recovery operations.

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