PASIR PUTEH, June 7 — Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students who survived a bus crash in Gerik, Perak, on June 9 last year are still recovering from their trauma, thanks to the continued support of their families, friends and the university.

A crash survivor, Abdul Wafiy Kamaruddin, 24, said he has managed to deal with the trauma of using public transport, even though he had trouble being inside vehicles following his ordeal, thanks to the university’s continuous counselling support for survivors.

“Initially, I was afraid when getting into vehicles and would worry, but Alhamdulillah I’m getting better in stages and now I don’t have trouble taking the bus or public transport.

“The UPSI counsellors always follow up on those of us who survived the crash and that really helped our emotional recovery,” he told reporters during a UPSI gathering for students and families involved in the crash in Tok Bali today.

He recounted how he saw many of his fellow students staggering around injured right after the crash, while he was fortunate to sustain only minor injuries.

“I was sitting in the last back seat on the right side. When I regained consciousness after the crash, I saw many of my friends injured and wanted to help them, but I was not physically able to do so.

“I could only help those near me, and this has haunted me for almost two to three months before I managed to slowly recover,” Abdul Wafiy said.

He also pointed out that many survivors have improved emotionally after receiving various forms of support.

“So far, 27 survivors are more stable and are recovering emotionally. This shows how vital families, friends and educational institutions are in helping victims like us carry on with life after facing tragedies,” he said.

He admitted that the June 9 crash, which killed 15 UPSI students, would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Everyone on the bus was in a festive mood because of Aidilfitri, he recalled, with laughter and smiles all around.

“But in the blink of an eye, 15 of us were killed and for those of us who survived, our lives have changed forever,” he said.

Besides focusing on his recovery, Abdul Wafiy also shares his experience and views on road safety on various platforms, having appeared as an invited panellist at the Road Safety Congress in November last year. — Bernama