SINGAPORE - The relatives of the family who died in the tragic Port Dickson crash on Jan 3 have appealed to the public not to share graphic photos of the accident.
Mr Hairuddin Ahmad, the brother-in-law of the late driver Mr Rosli Samad, told The Straits Times on Friday night that the family would like to appeal to the public not to share graphic images of the crash.
The family had been in a crash at a T-junction in Jalan Lukut Sepang that involved a Honda Stream, a tipper truck, a Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle, a Perodua Myvi and a motorcycle.
Photos circulated on social media showed the Singapore-registered white Honda Stream crushed by a tipper truck.
Three passengers - Madam Maimunah Sapari, 51, Ms Nur Amalina Rosli, 21, and Ms Dayana Sarah Rosli, 18 - died at the scene, while the driver, Mr Rosli Samad, 54, died en route to the hospital.
They leave behind two sons in their 20s who were not on the trip with them.
"There are some gruesome images and some unpleasant scenes going around online," said Mr Hairuddin, who works as a manager in carpark management. "I've seen myself. There's images of the victims, the deceased themselves, very close, showing their faces. I'm very sure I don't want such images to be going around online."
Additionally, the 55-year-old thanked those who have offered help and support, both from Singapore and Malaysia.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr Hairuddin said the family would like to thank Malaysian authorities, especially the police and hospital staff at the Port Dickson hospital and Seremban hospital.
"They have been very, very helpful and very accommodating. The police also have been very helpful. If there's no escort, we wouldn't have made it in time for the late burial," he said.
He also thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs "for providing us express access to Singapore from Woodlands Customs".
On Friday, the family overcame a misunderstanding over a perceived donation drive scam. They had made a police report over a donation drive that they thought was fraudulently being made in their name.
However, they found out later that it was one of their own family members who set up the donation drive.
Mr Hairuddin cleared the air and said the family is not seeking donations on a large scale via social media platforms.
"If there is going to be any personal donations among friends, I won't stop them, but we don't want any social media donation drives," he said.
Even so, he thanked Singaporeans for their support.
"The response from Singaporeans has been superb," he said. "They have been very, very helpful. The support from community and friends have been very overwhelming."
