KOTA BHARU, May 5 (Bernama) -- Two men, namely a person with disabilities (PWD) and a senior citizen died while three others were injured, in an accident involving two vehicles at the Simpang Tiga Manik Urai Lama junction, Kuala Krai, this morning.
In the 9:12 am incident, the fatalities were the Perodua Kembara driver, Mohd Yusof Mat Yasim, 64, from Kampung Pahi, and the front-seat passenger of the Honda City, Muhamad Irfan Zaidin, 20, from Kampung Pangkal Pisang, Peringat.
Kuala Krai Fire and Rescue Station Chief Nik Ahmad Afsham Nik Pa said they received an emergency call at 9:12 am before a fire engine was deployed to the scene.
He said that among those injured were a 30-year-old woman with an intellectual disability, a 61-year-old senior citizen, and another 24 year-old individual, respectively.
"The fire engine arrived at the scene at 9:26 am, approximately 21 kilometers from the station, and the operation was successfully brought under control four minutes later. The accident involved a Perodua Kembara sports utility vehicle carrying three victims and a Honda City VTEC with two passengers," he said when contacted today.
According to him, the driver of the Perodua Kembara was confirmed dead at the scene, while his two passengers were injured. Meanwhile, the driver of the Honda City was injured, and the front-seat passenger died.
He noted that firefighters extricated the trapped victims before handing them over to the Ministry of Health ambulance for further treatment, while the deceased were handed over to the police.
"This operation involved six personnel with one Fire Rescue Tender, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation," he said.
Meanwhile, Kuala Krai District Police Chief Supt Mazlan Mamat said that initial investigations found that the accident, which occurred at 8:15 am, resulted from a head-on collision occurring in the middle of a double-line road divider at a bend.
"The Perodua Kembara was traveling from the direction of Kota Bharu towards Gua Musang, while the Honda City vehicle was coming from the opposite direction. As a result of the accident, both victims suffered severe injuries before being confirmed dead at the scene," he said in a statement today.
Mazlan stated that the victims' bodies were subsequently taken to the Sultan Ismail Petra Hospital Forensic Unit for a post-mortem examination.
Following the collision, two passengers who were in the Perodua Kembara and the driver of the Honda City suffered only minor injuries and were sent to the Emergency Ward at the same hospital for further treatment.
Members of the public who have information regarding the incident are requested to come forward and provide information to the Traffic Police Station at the Kuala Krai District Police Headquarters, or contact the Investigating Officer, Insp Nurhasmira Tajol, at 09-9666222 to assist in the investigation.
-- BERNAMA
