EIGHT people in a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) were killed while two others in a 4WD pick-up were injured in a crash along the Sarikei to Sibu stretch of the Pan Borneo Highway.
Initial reports said the incident occurred while the MPV was attempting to flee the police.
Sarikei police acting chief Aswandy Anis said the MPV, driven by a Malaysian with seven Indonesian passengers, entered the opposite lane at the Simpang Bulat diversion.
It collided with an oncoming four-wheel drive vehicle when it reached the highway’s Sungai Nyelong bridge.
The two others in the 4WD were pulled out of their vehicle by passers-by and sent to the Sarikei Hospital.
Two individuals from the MPV were thrown out of the vehicle during the collision and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The remaining six occupants were still trapped inside the MPV and were later confirmed dead by paramedics after firefighters used specialised rescue equipment to extricate them.
Medical personnel who arrived at the scene confirmed that all eight in the MPV died on the spot.
The accident site was about 500 km from the state capital Kuching.
