While the root cause of yesterday’s Genting Highlands bus crash is yet to be officially ascertained, several accounts have emerged from survivors, with one telling of an angry exchange of gestures between the bus driver and a taxi driver just before the tragedy.

NONE "My two nephews saw the bus driver and a taxi driver exchanging what seemed like angry gestures at each other," claimed Mosammat Sirajum ( right ), a Malaysian permanent resident from Bangladesh.

"They also said the taxi driver tried to overtake the bus, and the bus driver stepped on the brake pedal," Mosammat said when met at the Selayang Hospital.

She said her nephews, aged 22 and 14, lost their father, aged 54, in the crash while their mother survived.

"This is the first time my cousin, a Canadian citizen, brought his family to Malaysia," she said.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Indonesian national Andri Purwadi told reporters that the bus was being driven at high speed.

NONE Andri (left) also admitted that he was one of the five passengers who bought the RM7 ticket but were forced to stand as all the seats were taken.

The man, who had a toothache, took the 2pm bus to the city to see a dentist, while his friend Nur Firdil Gusman, 25, an Indonesian citizen, who worked as a cleaner in Genting Highlands, was also warded in Selayang hospital.

The driver was neither drunk nor sleepy, said Andri, who works as a cleaner.

He said he was in great pain when the bus hit the ground and they had waited approximately an hour before help arrived.

Andri broke his leg and will underdo surgery in the evening.

'She couldn't even help herself'

“My sister said the bus was going fast, a few people were spotted standing,” said Nuraini Md Jali, 21 ( right ), who told her sister’s story.

Her 19-year-old sister Nurul Quraitul Aini, who works as a part-time banquet waitress, suffered a semi-critical injury in the accident.

NONE “She was conscious when the bus fell into the ravine. She heard people screaming and crying for help, but she said she couldn’t even help herself,” Nuraini (right) said.

“However, she does not blame anyone,” she said, adding that Nurul, who sat in the middle seat, didn’t know the cause of the accident.

“She is traumatised, she can’t  sleep. She has injuries on the head, back and hands. The doctor will perform surgery on her infected hand,” she said.

Nurul’s friend, who broke her rib cage, also survived the fatal accident.

However, according to a Nanyang Siang Pau report today, relatives of the driver, Lim Kok Ho, rebutted claims he was speeding.

They said the allegation was not fair to the deceased, and they do not rule out the possibility that the problem was caused by the bus itself, which Lim had allegedly lost control of.

Lim’s sister also reportedly said he had worked at the bus company for two months, making two trips to Genting Highlands daily.

Hence, she claimed, Lim was familiar with the route and was stable when driving.

She was further quoted saying her brother maintained a regular lifestyle and often slept early, ruling out speculation he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

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