PARIT: A mother's intuition that something was amiss turned into a tragedy when her four children and a son-in-law died in an accident at Kilometer 7, Jalan Jerantut Feri–Maran, Pahang at midnight last night (Friday, June 6).
According to a Sinar Harian report, Zaini Noh, 52, said her feeling of unease led her to advise her children and son-in-law not to proceed with their plan to celebrate Hari Raya at their uncle's house.
However, she said, her children were very eager, which led her and her husband, Aziz Jaafar Yusof, 50, to give their permission.
"I couldn't go because I wasn't feeling well. I told them, if mom doesn't go, there's no need to go.
"I advised them many times not to go, but they insisted," she said when met at her home in Kampung Padang Kunchor, Bota Kanan here, on Saturday.
In the incident at 12:40 a.m., Nur Arfiqah Aziz Jaafar, 23, along with her three siblings, Mohammad Zulkifli, 21, Mohamad Azizul Hakimi, 19, and Nurul Hazwani, 17, died after the Perodua Bezza car they were traveling in collided with a Toyota Alphard multipurpose vehicle (MPV).
The deceased were the second, third, fourth, and fifth children among six siblings.
Also killed was Nur Arfiqah's husband, Mohamad Ikmal Ishak, 26, who was driving the vehicle.
Zaini mentioned that her children had not visited their uncle's house in Jerantut for a long time, and this visit was the first after a long period.
"They went there because my brother was hosting a sacrificial feast. Other relatives, including my youngest child, left a day earlier, on Thursday, using two other vehicles," she said.
According to Zaini, the last time she saw all her children was on Tuesday before the incident.
She said they gathered and packed their belongings to stay at Nur Arfiqah's residence in Tambun before leaving for Jerantut around 5 p.m. on Friday.
"I saw they were all cheerful the last time we met. Only the children's friends had much to tell.
"They said my son (Mohammad Zulkifli) managed to treat 10 of his housemates to packed meals," she said.
She received news of the accident through a call from a neighbour who informed her that her children were involved in an accident.
"The neighbour called, saying the children had an accident, but didn't mention about their deaths. It was much later that we found out that all of them were gone," she explained.
Despite the difficulty in accepting the reality, Zaini and her husband remained strong and resigned to face this great loss.
She said they are now left with only two children, the eldest (a son) and the youngest (a daughter).
"What can I say... I am resigned," she said, holding back tears.
The bodies of all the victims will be prayed over at Masjid Jamek Bota Kanan and buried at the Islamic Cemetery of Kampung Selat, Bota Kanan on Saturday (June 7).
