KOTA KINABALU: Motorists using the Tawau-Semporna road are being urged to exercise additional caution due to the increasing number of tourist vehicles heading towards popular diving sites in the state.
The advisory was issued by State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew following a fatal accident involving a tour bus and a lorry, which resulted in the death of a Chinese tourist.
The victim, aged 56, was traveling with 14 other Chinese tourists when the head-on collision occurred at around 11:30 am on Wednesday (Nov 1). No other individuals were injured in the accident.
Liew stated that between January and June of this year, the Tun Sakaran Marine Park in Semporna had already recorded over 30,000 visitors. However, this figure does not account for additional visitor arrivals at other dive resorts.
“Road traffic on this route would have recently increased due to a higher number of vehicles transporting travelers from Tawau Airport to Semporna,” Liew explained.
“Since there is only one road connecting Semporna and Tawau Airport, I advise all road users to remain highly vigilant and allocate extra travel time to ensure their safety,” Liew said in a statement released on Friday (Nov 3).
