Gerik: The post-mortem process for 13 of the 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students killed in a crash at KM53 of the East-West Highway near Gerik early this morning is expected to be completed by midnight tonight. Perak Health director Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha stated that as of 3.30 pm today, six post-mortems had been completed at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the process is taking longer due to the condition of the bodies, and some family members have yet to arrive from the East Coast to identify them. Once the post-mortems are completed, the bodies will be handed over to the families in stages. The remaining two bodies were sent to Hospital Gerik for post-mortem examinations.

Dr Feisul mentioned that three teams were involved in the post-mortem process, which began at 11.30 am. The 13 bodies arrived at HRPB around 9 am, and each post-mortem takes approximately two to three hours depending on the condition of the body. The large number of victims contributes to the extended timeframe needed for this procedure.

The students were on a chartered bus traveling from Jerteh, Terengganu, to their campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak, when it collided with a multi-purpose vehicle near Tasik Banding at 1.10 am.