Mother mourns four children killed in Jerantut crash
PARIT: The mother of four siblings who were killed in an accident at Km7 of Jalan Jerantut–Maran in Jerantut, Pahang, today never imagined that her children's trip to celebrate Aidiladha at their uncle's house would end in tragedy.
Zaini Noh's children, namely, Nur Arfiqah Aziz Jaafar, 23; Mohammad Zulkifli Aziz Jaafar, 21; Mohamad Azizul Hakimi Aziz Jaafar, 19; and Nurul Hazwani Aziz Jaafar, 17, along with Nur Arfiqah's husband, Mohamad Ikmal Ishak, 26, were all killed on the spot.
The 52-year-old said she had initially advised her children and son-in-law not to make the journey to Jerantut, as she was unwell and unable to join them after suffering a mild stroke.
However, she said Nur Arfiqah was determined to visit their uncle to attend a qurban (sacrificial livestock) feast in conjunction with Aidiladha, as the family had not visited his home in Jerantut since 2004.
"They left for Pahang around 5pm yesterday to attend the qurban ceremony organised by my brother.
This was their first visit after a very long time.
"Since their uncle had invited them, they were eager to go... I did not accompany them because of my health.
"I told Arfiqah that if I could not attend, they should postpone the trip, but she insisted, even though I repeatedly asked her not to go without me," Zaini told reporters when met at Kampung Padang Kunchor, Bota, today.
Zaini said she has come to terms with the loss of her four children on the eve of Aidiladha, as she now has only her eldest son and youngest daughter left.
She said she was first informed by a neighbour that her children were involved in an accident.
It was only hours later that she received confirmation that they had died.
"My youngest daughter had travelled earlier with other relatives to Jerantut on Thursday, while my eldest son, who is married, did not join the trip," she said.
Zaini last saw her children on Tuesday, when Nur Arfiqah came to her house to pick up her younger siblings.
The group gathered in Ipoh, Perak, before continuing their journey to Jerantut on Thursday and Friday.
She said her son, Mohammad Zulkifli, had recently bought packed rice for his 10 housemates, a kind gesture that his friends shared with the family when they came to visit today.
"His friends came by today and told me that he had bought them packed meals just days before the tragedy," she said.
Funeral prayers for the siblings will be held at Jamek Bota Kanan Mosque before they are laid to rest at the Kampung Selat Muslim burial ground in Bota Kanan.
In the early morning accident, three others, including a woman travelling in a Toyota Alphard, sustained injuries.
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