Two people were killed and three others seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash that left two cars engulfed in flames at Kilometer 56 of the Senai-Desaru Expressway today.
Senior Fire Officer II Mohd Hazmi Zulkafli from the Bandar Penawar Fire and Rescue Station said the vehicles involved included a Toyota Fortuner, which caught fire and left one man seriously injured, and a Volkswagen carrying four people — two of whom died while the other two were badly hurt.
He added that the victims’ deaths and injuries were caused by the collision itself, not the fire. Preliminary investigations revealed that the Toyota Fortuner collided with the Volkswagen before both vehicles caught fire.
“A Honda CR-V attempted to avoid the burning vehicles, and all four occupants escaped unharmed,” he said in a statement.
The fire department received a distress call at 11:25 a.m., and eight firefighters were deployed to the scene.
“When our team arrived, two of the three vehicles were already on fire. All five victims had been rescued by passersby before our arrival. We then extinguished the blaze using a hose reel,” Hazmi said.
Kota Tinggi District Police Chief Superintendent Yusof Othman confirmed that the two deceased were sent to Kota Tinggi Hospital, while the three injured victims were taken to Sultan Ismail Hospital for treatment.
