'She did not reply': Mother recalls last attempt to contact daughter, 10, killed in Johor 5-vehicle crash

Before leaving for Johor, 10-year-old Nur Airish Syifa Sidek shook her mother’s hand, kissed her cheeks several times, and smiled.

What she said to her mother, Nurul Ain Mohd Rashid, 38, before stepping away was:

“Goodbye Umi (a colloquial term for "mother" in Malay)."

Those would be the final words her mother heard from her.

Nurul Ain would later find out that her daughter was among five people killed in a five-vehicle crash along Jalan Renggam–Simpang Renggam in Kluang, Johor, on Jun. 1.

Took five pieces of her mother’s clothing

Speaking to Malaysian media at the Bandar Al Muktaffi Billah Shah Islamic Cemetery, Nurul Ain said her daughter had asked to follow her uncle back to Kota Tinggi, Johor, on Thursday (Jun. 11) afternoon, according to Harian Metro.

Nurul Ain’s elder son, Amirul Syafiq, 15, had also wanted to go along, but she stopped him as she wanted him to remain at home with her.

Nur Airish had also taken five pieces of her mother’s clothing with her, as they wore the same size.

Nurul Ain added, as reported by the New Straits Times, the fact that her daughter was wearing one of her shirts during the accident made the tragedy even more heartbreaking.

Last WhatsApp message

Nurul Ain also recalled the last WhatsApp message she received from her daughter.

Nur Airish’s message to her mother contained only one word, similar to the final words she had spoken out loud: “Umi.”

Nurul Ain said she replied, “Yes”, but did not receive an answer, according to Harian Metro.

When she later asked where her daughter was, Nur Airish replied that she was at her grandaunt’s shop in Umbai, Melaka.

Nurul Ain said:

“When I asked if she was eating, she did not reply [to my WhatsApp message]. Then, around 1:30pm, I was informed of the accident."

Nurul Ain and her husband, Sidek Abd Hamid, 42, then rushed to Hospital Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom in Kluang, arriving at around 11pm.

She added:

"I was devastated to learn that all the victims had died in the accident.

"Besides my daughter, my brother and sister-in-law were very kind people, including Semek, whom I regarded as my own mother.”

Daughter was excited to become an elder sister

Nurul Ain, who is five months pregnant and due to give birth in November, said Nur Airish had been excited when she found out about the pregnancy, reported the New Straits Times.

“When she found out I was pregnant, she told me not to buy any baby clothes yet because she wanted to choose them herself,” Nurul Ain said. "So when I went to the shopping centre with my husband a few days ago, I did not buy any baby clothes because I remembered her request.”

Father calls for stern action

Separately, Nur Airish’s father, Sidek, called for stern action after watching a viral dashcam video of the crash, according to the New Straits Times.

He said:

“I felt extremely sad and angry.

Losing family members, including my own daughter, is heartbreaking. Stern action must be taken so that such acts do not happen again and serve as a lesson to everyone.”

Sidek said he was certain that his brother-in-law, Aiman, had not been at fault, describing him as a careful driver who did not drive recklessly.

Five-vehicle crash

According to earlier reports of the crash, initial investigations found that a BMW driven by a 22-year-old man had allegedly been racing with a Mercedes-Benz driven by his 19-year-old younger brother.

Police said the BMW later lost control, entered the opposite lane, and collided with several vehicles, including the Toyota Vios that the family of four was travelling in.

The family and the BMW driver were both killed.

The 19-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver, who is reportedly a student at a university in Singapore, was later remanded for two days to assist with investigations.