A Malaysian mother has been left devastated after losing all three of her children in a tragic motorcycle accident in Johor, after her two younger children insisted on going to school despite warnings that classes had been cancelled because of worsening haze.
The heartbreaking incident happened on the morning of October 8, 2026, in Pontian, Johor, when 18-year-old Nor Daniel Aiman Norlizan was taking his younger brother, Nor Daniel Fikri Norlizan, 11, and their eight-year-old sister, Puteri Naufa Raisha Norlizan, on a motorcycle.
According to reports by AsiaOne, Bernama, The Star and The Straits Times, the siblings were travelling to Sekolah Kebangsaan Parit Sapran after being told that schools across Johor had been closed because of deteriorating air quality caused by the regional haze.
Their mother, 44-year-old Julaiha Munaji, said the younger children had refused to believe that their school was closed. They were reportedly eager to attend classes, with one of them pleading to go while already dressed in school uniform and preparing school materials.
Julaiha had told them there was no need to go to school that day. However, their older brother eventually agreed to take them so they could see for themselves that the school was closed.
Tragically, the journey ended in disaster.
Crash Happened Just 200 Metres From Their Home
At approximately 7.20am, the motorcycle was travelling along a road in the Kayu Ara Pasong area of Pontian when it allegedly collided with a lorry coming from the opposite direction.
Pontian district police chief Superintendent Hadzrat Hussein Mion Hussain said the motorcycle, a Honda carrying all three siblings, was believed to have collided with a Hino lorry.
The two younger children were pronounced dead at the scene, while Aiman suffered critical injuries and died while being taken to Pontian Hospital.
Reports said the crash occurred only about 200 metres from the family’s home.
The lorry driver, a 69-year-old man, sustained injuries to his arms and knees and received medical treatment.
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision. Authorities have not established a final cause of the crash in the reports available.
Mother Learns Her Children Will Never Come Home
For Julaiha, the news was almost impossible to comprehend.
She told Bernama that villagers initially informed her that her children had been involved in an accident. Believing it might have been a less serious incident, she asked her eldest son, 22-year-old Nor Daniel Irwan, to go to the scene.
Instead, he returned in tears with the devastating news that his two younger siblings had died and Aiman was critically injured.
Julaiha said she felt as though she might faint when she learned what had happened, describing the overwhelming grief of discovering that three of her children had been taken from her in a single morning.
The family, which has six children, was suddenly confronted with the loss of three siblings whose lives had been cut short in circumstances no parent could have anticipated.
11-Year-Old Boy Had Been Looking Forward to Football Training
Among the most painful details to emerge was the younger brother’s enthusiasm for school and football.
Julaiha said Fikri had washed his football boots the day before the accident because he was scheduled to attend training on October 8. He had hoped to prepare for an upcoming competition in which he was due to represent his school.
He reportedly did not want to miss the training and had already put on his sports attire that morning.
His determination to attend school reflected how much he valued his education and sporting activities.
Meanwhile, Aiman had plans to further his studies at GiatMARA, a Malaysian vocational and technical training institution. Those plans were tragically cut short when he died on the way to hospital.
Their eight-year-old sister, Naufa, had also wanted to accompany her brother to school.
For their family, ordinary plans for a school day have now become painful reminders of three young lives lost.
Haze Forces More Than 1,000 Johor Schools to Close
The tragedy occurred as Malaysia faced worsening air pollution linked to forest and land fires in neighbouring Indonesia.
All schools in Johor were ordered to close for two days, October 8 and 9, following deteriorating air quality. The decision affected more than 1,000 schools and approximately 600,000 students, according to Bernama.
The closures were intended to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy air and protect their health amid the regional haze crisis.
The wider situation also prompted school closures in several other Malaysian states and federal territories as pollution levels rose.
The incident highlights how the effects of the haze have extended beyond respiratory health concerns, disrupting education and daily routines across the region.
However, authorities have not said that the haze itself caused the motorcycle collision. The reported circumstances indicate that the siblings were travelling after their school had been closed, while the precise cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Offers Condolences
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his condolences to the family following the deaths of the three siblings.
In a Facebook statement reported by Bernama, he conveyed his sympathies and prayed that the family would be given strength and resilience as they faced the tragedy.
The loss has also drawn attention to the importance of ensuring that families receive clear and timely information about school closures, particularly during emergencies that affect large numbers of students.
While the children’s insistence on seeing the school for themselves was described by their family, the incident should not be reduced to a story of blame. The collision remains under investigation, and the family is now dealing with an unimaginable loss.
A Family’s Ordinary School Morning Ends in Unimaginable Grief
The three siblings had set out on a journey connected to something ordinary: going to school, attending football training and continuing their education.
Instead, their mother was left mourning three children at once.
Their deaths have become a devastating reminder of how quickly a normal morning can turn into a life-changing tragedy. As police investigate the collision, the family must begin the painful process of grieving while the wider community offers its condolences.
For Julaiha, the most heartbreaking part is that her children had been eager to continue their usual activities, unaware that their journey would end so close to home.
Three siblings are gone, and a family is left facing a loss that no words can fully describe.
