Peterborough: Man Killed In Malaysia

21 April 2014, 05:32 | Updated: 21 April 2014, 08:54

A man from Peterborough has died after a double-decker bus reportedly plunged into a ravine in Malaysia.

32 year old Harry Christopher Woolhouse had been living in Singapore where he worked for engineering company Atkins.

The bus full of tourists was understood to be returning to Singapore from a trip to Redang Island off the Malaysian coast when it fell down a 15-metre slope at an oil palm plantation yesterday.

Mr Woolhouse's father Christopher, 67, told the Daily Telegraph the family was "completely devastated''. 

"He was such an active guy,'' he added.

His mother, Sara, 60, told the paper: "He was an incredibly adventurous person. He made the best of everything and we just can't believe he's gone.''

Mr Woolhouse was the only person killed in the crash which happened along the Segamat-Kuantan highway near the Felda Chini junction in the east of the country, The New Straits Times reported.

He was one of 38 passengers onboard, including tourists from the UK, US, France, China and India, the Malaysian newspaper said.

The bus driver, known only as ``Along'', told The New Straits Times: "It was raining and I suddenly lost control of the vehicle when descending the sloping stretch. The bus spun several times before it rolled over the slope on the left side of the road.''

Mr Woolhouse had worked for Atkins in Singapore since 2012 after securing a job with the international firm in the UK as a graduate in 2004.

Dr Martin Grant, chief executive of Atkins' energy division, paid tribute to the "extremely capable young engineer''.

He said: "We are deeply upset to hear about the sad death of Harry Woolhouse in an accident in Malaysia today. Harry worked in our oil and gas division in Singapore and was a long standing member of the Atkins family.

"He joined us as a graduate chemical engineer and had worked for us in the UK and more recently in Singapore.

"He was a highly popular colleague who was an extremely capable young engineer who had a very promising career ahead of him. He will be very much missed by us all.

We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends at this very sad time.''

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing consular assistance to his family at this sad time.''