Boy survives Christmas Day car crash that killed mum, dad and sibling

A boy, the sole survivor of a Christmas Day crash in Johor, was saved by Good Samaritans.

First, passing motorists pulled the boy from the burning Singapore-registered car he was in.

The boy, believed to be between four and five years old, ended up in Kota Tinggi Hospital without identification papers. His parents and a sibling were killed in the crash.

Then, witnesses who knew of the boy's plight uploaded his picture on social media, appealing for someone to identify him and to locate his relatives.

The Land Rover the boy's family was travelling in had collided with another car near Mersing in Johor at around 6am.

The boy was saved by a Malaysian motorcyclist who pulled him from the burning wreckage on the Sungai Dohol bridge, Malaysian police said.

A Kota Tinggi traffic police officer, who gave his name only as Zakaria, told The New Paper in Malay: "He (the rescuer) broke a rear passenger window and pulled the boy, who was sitting next to his mother, out of the burning car. Unfortunately, it all happened too quickly and he was not able to save the others."

Media reports suggested other motorists tossed the boy to safety, away from the two cars, which were completely engulfed in flames.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK/MAK KAU HIJAU

It is believed that the Land Rover had hit a signboard before colliding with the oncoming Toyota Corolla.

By the time Mr Zakaria arrived at the scene, the boy had already been taken to Kota Tinggi Hospital.

A Johor Fire and Rescue Department spokesman told Channel NewsAsia yesterday that the Mersing-bound Land Rover is believed to have hit a road signboard near the bridge.

It then collided with an oncoming Toyota Corolla heading towards Kota Tinggi.

WRECKAGE

Mr Zakaria said there was little left in the wreckage to help them identify the boy. Everything was charred except for one of the Land Rover's licence plates.

He added: "Nothing was left. No passports, no wallets or clues to point to their identities.

"If the Land Rover's bumper with the licence plate had not come off during the collision, we would not have known the car's details."

Four burnt bodies were retrieved from the two vehicles - the boy's parents and a child from the Land Rover, and a woman from the Malaysian-registered car.

The bodies were taken to Kota Tinggi Hospital for a post-mortem.

Social media was abuzz with news of the accident within hours of the boy appearing at the hospital.

Netizen Hanni Wong posted on her Facebook a photo of the boy, claiming that her relatives had witnessed the accident. She wrote: "Kindly share the post to help him reunite with his family on this Christmas morning. Thank you for your help. Please PM me if you have any info."

Within hours, the post went viral and social media was in a frenzy, with offers to help the boy. Many expressed their grief and there were messages urging the boy to stay strong.

The boy had given the Malaysian cops his name, but they declined to reveal it to the media.

Yesterday morning, Mr Zakaria said the boy was in tears when he was questioned by police officers at Kota Tinggi Hospital before he was transferred to Sultanah Aminah Hospital.

Mr Zakaria said: "He (the boy) was in trauma. He couldn't understand what had just happened. He kept asking in English to see his mother and wanting to speak to her."

He added that the boy was not badly injured save for bandages on both legs. After he had calmed down, he was taken to Sultanah Aminah Hospital for further treatment. Officials from Singapore met him there.

Last night, there were reports that the boy was discharged from Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru.

The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unable to confirm the reports.

MFA issued a statement yesterday saying that the "Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Baru is in close contact with the local Malaysian authorities and we are verifying the identities of all the passengers involved."

An MFA spokesman told The New Paper: "Our Consul-General visited the survivor at the hospital. We are in touch with the survivor's next-of-kin and are rendering the necessary assistance."

Nothing was left. No passports, no wallets or clues to point to their identities. If the Land Rover's bumper with the licence plate had not come off during the collision, we would not have known the car's details.

- A Kota Tinggi traffic police officer who gave his name only as Zakaria