KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian authorities said charging points in its tour and excursion buses are exempt from safety inspections, following the death of a youth who was electrocuted while he was charging his mobile phone on a tour bus.

       The 18-year-old youth was found dead in his seat on a coach at Penang Sentral at about 6pm on Nov 2.

       Mr Mahmood Razak Bahman, the chief executive officer of national vehicle inspection company, Puspakom, said a special task force has been established to investigate the fatal incident.

       He added that the Land Public Transport Agency, also known as Apad, has suspended the bus in question while the Road Transport Department will be conducting a technical audit of the vehicle to identify the possible causes of electrocution.

       Puspakom, according to Mr Mahmood, will be drafting the incident report and making recommendations with regard to the incident.

       “We will not speculate on the way forward by the authorities with respect to the charging points. We will comply with any requirements for inspection as we have for the last 30 years,” he said.

       Transport Minister Anthony Loke said a review on vehicle safety inspection may be carried out following the death of the youth.

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       He added that the review on the vehicle’s electrical system will depend on the findings of the special task force.

       “We have to establish the facts first to determine whether using the USB was the cause,” he said. “That is why we set up the task force to determine the cause of the incident.”

       Mr Loke said it is too early to pinpoint the exact cause as the bus in which the incident happened had yet to be fully inspected.

       “We will establish the cause of the incident and will review the safety measures from there,” he said.

       The task force has been given two weeks to complete the probe. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK