Perak police chief Noor Hisam Nordin said this was to prevent interference with its ongoing probe.

He said the 39-year-old driver is being treated at Taiping Hospital.

“The bus driver’s (premature) statements could give rise to speculation. Although this country allows freedom of speech, I want him to be patient,” Bernama reported him as saying at the Perak police headquarters today.

The Monday incident involved a chartered bus carrying Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students from Jertih, Terengganu to their campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak.

The bus overturned at KM53 of the highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik, killing 15 students.

The crash also left 33 others injured, including the bus driver, his assistant and three passengers of the Perodua Alza involved in the collision.

Noor Hisam said police would record the driver’s statement once the hospital allowed them to do so.

He said the police had so far recorded the statements of 18 witnesses, including UPSI students involved in the accident.

“We are conducting a detailed investigation which also involves several agencies, including the Perak chemistry department, road transport department and Puspakom, to determine the exact cause of the accident,” he said.

Noor Hisam also said a dashboard camera video of the incident had been sent to the Bukit Aman forensic department for analysis.