A handcrafted bouquet made of banknotes, created with love for his mother’s birthday, became the final gift from 21-year-old Muhammad Adib Hazim Halim before he lost his life in a tragic bus crash early this morning.
The fatal accident occurred along the East-West Highway (JRTB) near Banun, Gerik.
According to his elder brother, Muhammad Aiman Hazman Halim, 32, Adib had made the bouquet as a birthday gift for their mother, Rus Lina Abd Razak, 69. The family celebrated her birthday on Sunday.
“Adib loved making decorative crafts. He once made a bouquet for our sister when she finished her Suksis training,” said Aiman, when met at the Forensics Unit of Gerik Hospital.
He described Adib as a caring son, a memoriser of the Quran (tahfiz), and someone who was deeply loved by his siblings.
The family first learned about the accident through images that went viral on social media.
“Before the crash, ummi (our mother) had taken a photo of the bus Adib boarded and sent it in our family WhatsApp group,” Aiman explained. “When we saw the viral photos, we knew right away that Adib was involved.”
He added that their mother had felt unusually emotional before her birthday celebration. “She cried quietly in her room but didn’t know why. She never imagined that this tragedy would be the reason,” he said.
Adib, a student at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), will be buried in his hometown of Kampung Pasir Badak, Besut, Terengganu. His funeral prayer will take place at the local surau.
The crash happened around 1.10 a.m. when a chartered bus carrying UPSI students from Jerteh, Terengganu to Tanjung Malim, Perak collided with a Perodua Alza and overturned near Tasik Banding.
Fifteen students died in the incident. Thirty-three others were injured, including the bus driver and co-driver, as well as the Alza driver and three of its passengers.
