KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Japanese tourist died and 12 other people were injured when a tour bus smashed into the rear of a truck on a highway in Malaysia, one of Japan's largest travel agencies said Friday.
JTB Corp. said the crash happened Thursday in Perak state in central Malaysia, as the bus was heading from Penang to the Cameron Highlands, a popular tourist destination dotted with tea plantations.
One woman in her 70s succumbed to her injuries and died, JTB President and CEO Eijiro Yamakita told a news conference in Tokyo.
Malaysia's fire and rescue department said the bus was carrying three men and eight women from Japan, all senior citizens, as well as a bus driver and a local tour guide. It said all 13 victims were carried out in stretchers and taken to hospital after receiving initial treatment on site.
Yamakita said some of the survivors were seriously injured. He said their exact conditions were unknown, and that the cause of the crash was under investigation.
Pictures provided by the fire department showed the front portion of the bus badly mangled, with a shattered windscreen.
“As a travel agency, we are truly sorry about this incident and offer our deepest apologies,” Yamakita said.
The company said it is fully cooperating with local authorities and the Japanese embassy in Malaysia, and has sent staff from its Kuala Lumpur office as well as from Tokyo to provide support for the passengers and their relatives.
Yamakita said the bus was hired by a local tour operator, and that it met JTB’s safety standards.
AP writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.
This handout photo provided by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department shows officers carry an injured out from a tour bus that smashed into the rear of a lorry in Taiping, Perak State, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department via AP)
This handout photo provided by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department shows officers at the site where a tour bus smashed into the rear of a lorry in Taiping, Perak State, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department via AP)
NEW DELHI (AP) — Tropical Storm Dana brought strong winds and heavy rain to India's eastern coast Friday, uprooting trees and bringing a flood risk after nearly 600,000 people evacuated.
The storm made landfall late Thursday night in Odisha state with maximum sustained winds of around 110 kph (68 mph) and gusts up to 120 kph (75 mph), according to the Indian Meteorological Department. Officials told the Press Trust of India news agency the storm would push further into northern Odisha and gradually weaken.
The storm pounded some districts in Odisha and neighboring West Bengal state with heavy downpours as gusty winds brought down trees, local media reported. As of early Friday, there were no deaths nor any major damage reported.
Nearly 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk zones in Odisha earlier in the week, and teams of rescue and aid workers were deployed in preparation for the storm. Schools were closed, more than 200 trains were canceled and flights to and from the capital cities of Odisha and West Bengal were suspended.
Authorities were on high alert for damage in three districts in Odisha, where the weather department forecast a sea surge of around 1 meter (yard), which could further flood low-lying areas.
Climate scientists say severe storms are becoming more frequent in South Asia. Global warming driven by planet-heating gases has caused them to become more extreme and unpredictable.
India’s eastern coasts have long been prone to cyclones, but the number of intense storms is increasing along the country’s coast. 2023 was India’s deadliest cyclone season in recent years, killing 523 people and costing an estimated $2.5 billion in damage.
This photograph shared by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Government of India, shows NDRF personnel sawing fallen trees in Paradeep, in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha state, on India's eastern coastline, where Tropical Storm Dana made landfall late Thursday night, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, India, Friday, Oct. 24, 2024. (NDRF, Government of India, via AP)
A surfer enters the Bay of Bengal at Konark beach in Puri district of Odisha state, on India's eastern coastline, where Tropical Storm Dana is expected to make landfall late on Thursday and early into Friday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, India, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo)
A stray dog sits on an empty jetty on Hooghly River after ferry services were suspended due to the approaching Tropical Storm Dana, which is expected to make landfall late on Thursday and early into Friday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
