MELAKA, Dec 25 — Two siblings who survived a horrific five-vehicle pile-up at KM204 of the North-South Expressway (PLUS) heading north are still unaware that their parents have died.

State Health, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Ngwe Hee Sem said that the tragic news was being kept from Muhammad Uwais Al-Qarni Khairul Ikhwan, 7, and Nur Sofea Humaira, 4, as they were still recovering from their injuries.

"We haven't told them yet because we are concerned about their emotional state. Although they are conscious, they are both still in pain, and I’m not sure if they have asked about it,” he told reporters after visiting the children at the Melaka Hospital today.

He added that the siblings were cared for by their relatives since the night of the incident, and their health had shown significant improvement.

"Muhammad Uwais is scheduled for surgery on his broken right thigh and is still being monitored in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while his sister, Nur Sofea, has safely undergone surgery for a fracture in her left thigh. Both are in stable condition,” he said.

In the 8.45 pm incident on Monday, seven people were killed, including the parents of the two siblings — Khairul Ikhwan Mazupi, 32, and Fadzlenna Ramli, 32 - as well as their younger brother, Muhammad Umar, 2, and their grandparents, Ramli Ab Wahab, 66, and Fauziah Jaafar, 69.

Also among the deceased were the driver of the tourist bus, Noorisnien Khamid, 56, and a passenger from Singapore, Lamrah Asid Ali, 66.

Meanwhile, 33 people were injured in the crash which involved a tourist bus carrying 27 passengers, two lorries, a car, and a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). — Bernama