Cases of 'boatpeople', gruesome murders, helicopter crash, earthquake and landslides took centre stage in the crime and disaster scenes in the country throughout 2015.

Following are the timeline:

* Jan 15 -- Eight people were killed, seven of them burnt to death, when a tour bus caught fire after crashing into a ditch along the North-South Expressway near the Tapah toll plaza.

* April 4 -- Former minister and former Malaysian special envoy to the United States Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis and Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Datuk Azlin Alias died when a AS365N2 Dauphin helicopter carrying them and four others crashed at Jalan Sungai Lalang, Kampung Pasir Baru, Semenyih.

* April 25 -- Body of Malaysian, Sai Jaya Raj Anthony who went missing during his trekking in north of Kathmandu was found during the search and rescue operation for Nepal's 7.9 Richter earthquake that killed more than 9,000 people on April 21.

* May 2 -- Three family members including a six month-old baby perished in a tragic road accident in Duke/Ulu Klang Expressway.

* May 8 -- Another helicopter crash involving a Malaysian occurred in Pakistan. Wife of the Malaysia's High Commissioner to Pakistan, Datin Habibah Mahmud was among six people killed when the helicopter carrying a diplomatic delegation crashed in Naltar Valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

* May 10 -- People of Langkawi was shocked to receive 1,158 Bangladesh nationals and the Rohingyas dubbed as 'boatpeople' who landed illegally in the wee hour on the island.

* May 25 -- The discovery of 139 grave sites believed to be of the Rohingyas, and 28 human trafficking camps in Wang Kelian, near Malaysia-Thailand border.

* June 5 -- A 5.9-magnitude earthquake with its epicentre in Ranau, Sabah struck at 7.15 am, killing 18 people comprising 14 mountain climbers and four mountain guides, including foreigners.

* June 11 -- A 7,300-deadweight tonne vessel, MT Orkim Harmony was hijacked about 30 nautical miles from the Malaysian port of Tanjung Sedili carrying about 50,000 barrels of RON95 fuel. The tanker was released on June 19.

* Aug 8 -- The Singapore-registered tanker MT Joaquim was hijacked while sailing from Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia to Langkawi and was released the next day.

* Aug 18 -- Four Malaysians were killed and three injured in a bomb attack at Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok that killed 16 others and injured more than 100 people.

* Aug 31 -- Four soldiers were killed and 13 others injured after a military truck skidded and rammed into a tree at Km9 of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, near Sibu.

* Sept 11 -- Seven Malaysians were killed in Makkah when a construction crane collapsed and crushed on the Grand Mosque, killing over 100 pilgrims and injuring hundreds more.

* Sept 16 -- DPP Anthony Kevin Morais who was reported missing since Sept 4 was been found dead, with his body stuffed in a concrete-filled drum near Sungai Klang at Persiaran Subang Mewah in the USJ1 housing estate.

* Oct 7 -- A bus and lorry collision claimed the lives of five people including four women tourists from China while nine others were seriously injured at the southbound 94km North-South Expressway near Yong Peng-Ayer Hitam in Batu Pahat.

* Oct 8 -- Four out of seven SK Pos Tohoi, Gua Musang, Kelantan students who were reported missing since Aug 23 were found dead, while two others were alive and one still missing.

* Oct 10 -- Three members of a family were killed when the car they were travelling in was hit by a gantry signboard after it was rammed by a container lorry at KM399.6 of the PLUS Highway (northbound), near Tanjung Malim, Perak.

* Oct 14 –- Six members of a family were killed when their car skidded and collided with a trailer parked on the emergency lane at KM258.8 of the East Coast Highway 2, near the Perasing rest and service area at Kemaman.

* Oct 17 -- Three people were killed and five others were injured in a eight-vehicle pile up at Kilometre 283.6 of the North-South Expressway (southbound), near the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza.

* Nov 2 -- A family of four comprising of a 57-year-old man, his wife, 54, and their two sons aged at 20 and 17, were apprehended at a house in Jalan Pahang, Tapah, at about 1.30 pm on Oct 26, to assist investigation on murder cases involving at least four victims.

* Nov 11 -- Landslide near Lentang-Bukit Tinggi, Karak Highway caused a section of the highway impassable to traffic.

* Nov 18 -- Bernard Then Ted Fen, a Malaysian who was abducted together with another Malaysian Thien Nyuk Fun, 50, by Abu Sayaff group to the Philippines on May 14 was reportedly killed by the militant group.

* Dec 1 -- Three people were killed while 23 were injured when the car they were travelling in crashed with an express bus, causing both vehicles to plunge into a ravine along Jalan Kiau-Ranau.

* Dec 2 -- A total of 72 Malaysians, including 14 women, were found to have been involved in violent activities in Iraq and Syria, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed. Of the total, 51 are still there, 14 have died and seven returned to Malaysia and have been arrested and charged in court.

* Dec 18 -- The headmistress of Sekolah Kebangsaan Tamat Keramat, Jashiah Rabu, 53, went missing and still no positive lead has been found.

* Dec 20 -- Thirteen Malaysians were killed and nine others injured when the tour bus they were travelling in, collided with a pick-up truck in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.