MELAKA, Dec 25 — Police have recorded the statement of the lorry driver involved in the five-vehicle crash that killed five people at KM204 of the North-South Expressway (PLUS) northbound in Melaka on the night of the incident.

Alor Gajah District Police Chief Superintendent Ashari Abu Samah said the statement of the 31-year-old driver was taken to determine elements of negligence that resulted in one of the lorry tyres being dislodged, resulting in the crash.

Tests conducted on the driver found him to be free of the influence of drugs and alcohol, he said when contacted by the media here today.

Ashari said that the police are working to obtain dashboard camera footage showing the tyre on the highway, which has gone viral on social media.

He urged the owner of the vehicle that recorded the incident to come forward and assist with the investigation, being conducted under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Yesterday, the father of Khairul Ikhwan Mazupi, 32, driver of the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) who died in the crash, said that he believed the police were gathering sufficient evidence for prosecution.

Datuk Mazupi Abdul Rahman, a retired senior police officer, also expressed confidence that the police would conduct a transparent and fair investigation into the incident.

The accident also claimed the lives of his daughter-in-law, Fadzlenna Ramli, 32, his grandson Muhammad Umar, 2, as well as his in-laws Ramli Ab Wahab, 66, and Fauziah Jaafar, 69.

The crash, which occurred at 8.45 pm on Tuesday and involved a tour bus carrying 27 passengers, two lorries, a car, and the MPV, killed seven people, while 33 others were injured. — Bernama