The driver of a Malaysia tour bus who killed a Japanese man had a drug conviction

The driver of a bus carrying Japanese tourists that crashed into a caravan in Malaysia on Thursday, killing one of them, had previously been charged with a drug offense, a police official said on Saturday.

“He is a wanted man. There is an arrest warrant for him for failing to appear in court on drug charges,” Mohamad Nasir Ismail, Taiping district police chief, told Kyodo News.

Police have not yet interviewed the 41-year-old driver, who is currently in hospital. His condition is said to be stable.

In addition to the driver, eleven Japanese tourists aged between 58 and 80 and their Malaysian tour guide were on the bus at the time of the accident.

They were traveling from Penang in the north to Cameron Highlands, a mountain resort known for its tea plantations, when their bus crashed into a trailer on the highway near the town of Taiping in Perak state.

Police officers hold a press conference in Ipoh, Malaysia, on October 25, 2024, a day after a bus carrying Japanese tourists crashed near the city of Taiping in Perak state, killing one of them. (Kyodo)

A 73-year-old woman from Nara Prefecture died after the accident. All Japanese passengers who were injured and taken to hospital were released by Saturday.

The Japanese travel agency JTB Corp. said the victims were taking part in an organized tour.

Photo taken on October 26, 2024 shows the hospital in Taiping, Malaysia, where Japanese nationals were taken who were injured in a bus accident two days earlier. (Kyodo)

Related coverage:

1 Japanese tourist killed in bus crash in Malaysia