Police have confirmed the death of a fourth motorcyclist that was involved in an illegal motorcycle street race along the coastal highway near the Penang bridge.
In the early hours of July 17th along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, the four lane public road was turned into a high speed drag strip where hundreds of Mat Rempits and their party were gathered.
Some riders had collided with each other but, in the commotion, a smaller group of riders failed to stop at full speed when met with a near-standstill yellow Perodua Myvi that was passing through the thick crowd that had gathered.
Not only has numerous, usually disturbing, videos emerged on social media of the accident itself, but many users have uploaded massive convoys of small capacity, modified motorbikes that were on their way to convene at the coastal expressway. Obviously they were causing so much commotion as to wake the residents of many neighbourhoods as they passed by, yet the police were conspicuously absent until the tragedy had taken place despite the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway being a known hotspot.
North-east district police chief ACP Soffian Santong confirmed to local press that the victims were identified as Muhammad Harith Zikri Yusnizar,17, Ahmad Haikal Naif Ahmad Nazrul, 19, Mohd Syazwan Hakim Mohd Abdul Sani, 22, and Muhamad Eizreel Muhamad Roszadi, 25. All of them were from either Penang or Kedah.
The youngest of the four had succumbed to his injuries while being treated at the Penang General Hospital in Georgetown while the other three died at the scene.
Reportedly, three other men had come away with injuries, identified as Mohd Haziq Harris, 34, who sustained head injuries; Muhammad Rahimi Shukor, 19, who had injuries to his face and head; and Muhammad Shazwan Hafiz Mohd Abdul Sani, 22, who suffered injuries to his hands, legs and face.
In a statement released later on Sunday, July 17th, Soffian said: “Police received a report on the accident at 4.30am and preliminary investigations into the 4 am incident on the highway heading towards George Town found several motorcycles were believed to be involved in illegal racing.”