Fatal disaster strikes during dinner outing - Star

Oct 4, 2009

IPOH: He slowed down his car because the traffic light in front of him was turning red.

Moments later, computer technician Abdil Kudus Ismail, 21, felt a sharp pain on his face and back.

“When I turned to my friends, I could not see them as they were already buried under the rubble of a building which collapsed on my car.

“I could only feel Zairi (Mohd Sabri), who was seated in the front passenger seat, holding on tightly to my hand,” he said at Zairi’s house at Taman Harmoni in Rapat Setia here yesterday.

Sympathy offering: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (left) visiting Abdil Kudus at the Ipoh Hospital intensive care unit Saturday.

Abdil Kudus, who was trying to hold back his tears, added that he quickly used his right elbow to break the car window before crawling out to seek help.

“But when I returned to check on my friends, I could only see their lifeless hands,” he said, adding that the image would haunt him forever.

Abdil Kudus was recounting the harrowing experience when pre-war shophouses collapsed on his car on Friday.

His friends Zairi, 25, and Firdaus Mohd Norzila, 23, died on the spot.

Abdil Kudus said they were on their way to Dataran DBI for dinner when it happened.

Zairi’s mother Zaitun Ahmad, 43, said the last she spoke to her eldest son was 15 minutes before the incident.

“I refused to believe it when a policeman called to inform me of the incident, as I had just spoken to him on the phone,” said the mother of 11.

She added that Zairi had gone out with his friends to help her buy tickets for a trip to Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Meanwhile, Firdaus’ father Mohd Norzila Abd Rahman said he was contemplating taking legal action over his son’s death.

“There were not enough safety measures at the site where the buildings were being demolished,” said the lorry driver.

The two victims were buried at the Tanah Perkuburan Islam Rapat Setia here.