PONTIAN, Oct 8 — Unconvinced that the school had been closed due to the haze today, an elder brother eventually gave in to his two younger siblings’ insistence on going to school on a motorcycle, before all three were killed in an accident at Jalan Kampung Parit Haji Siraj, Kayu Ara Pasong, here, this morning.

The victims’ mother, Julaiha Munaji, 44, said that her two children, Nor Daniel Fikri Norlizan, 11, and Puteri Naufa Raisha, eight, still wanted to go to Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Parit Sapran, despite being informed that the school had been closed due to the haze.

She said that they did not believe that the school had been closed, with one of them even reportedly pleading to go to school, while wearing their school uniform and preparing their schoolwork.

As a result, their 18-year-old brother, Nor Daniel Aiman, eventually took both siblings to school on a motorcycle before they were involved in an accident with a lorry about 200 metres from their family home.

“I was informed by villagers that my children had been involved in an accident, but at first I thought it was an ordinary accident. I then told my eldest son, Nor Daniel Irwan, 22, to go to the location.

“When Irwan returned, he was crying and told me that Fikri and Naufa had died, while Aiman was in critical condition.

“I felt as though I was going to faint when I heard the news. I could only recite istighfar, and tears streamed down my face without me realising it,” she told Bernama at her home in Kampung Parit Haji Siraj, here, today.

Julaiha said that a day before the incident, Nor Daniel Fikri, her fifth child, had washed his football boots, as he was due to attend football training today, in preparation for an upcoming competition in which he was to represent his school.

She added that her son was very passionate about football and aspired to go further in the sport.

“He did not want to miss the training and had already put on his sports attire this morning. Aiman, meanwhile, was supposed to further his studies at GiatMARA, but his plans did not materialise, as he died while on the way to the hospital,” she said.

Earlier, Pontian police chief Supt Hadzrat Hussein Mion Hussain, in a statement, said that the accident, which occurred at about 7.20am, involved a Honda motorcycle ridden by an 18-year-old man with two pillion riders, aged 11 and eight, and a Hino lorry.

He said the motorcycle was travelling from Jalan Parit Haji Omar towards Kayu Ara Pasong, before it was believed to have collided with the lorry travelling in the opposite direction, with the two pillion riders pronounced dead at the scene, while the motorcycle rider died on the way to Pontian Hospital.

All schools in Johor have been closed for two days, from today, following the deterioration in air quality in the state, affecting more than 1,000 schools and about 600,000 students. — Bernama