TWO separate road accidents occurring within less than an hour claimed four lives across Pahang on Saturday, including two sisters whose family was preparing for a wedding just days away.
The day's deadliest personal tragedy unfolded along Jalan Besar Jengka 19 in Maran, where bride-to-be Dinie Hanis Noor Azlan Efenddy, 23, and her younger sister, Dinie Nasuha, 19, were killed after the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) they were travelling in collided with a car.
The fatal accident occurred just days before Dinie Hanis was due to be married on 26 June, with her family revealing that all preparations for the ceremony had already been completed.
Earlier, another fatal collision along Jalan Kuantan-Segamat near Chini in Pekan claimed the lives of two more motorists after an accident involving an MPV, a pick-up truck and a car.
The four fatalities, comprising two men and two women, died in the two crashes which occurred within a span of less than one hour.
Assistant Director of Operations for the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department, Mohd Salahuddin Isa, said firefighters from the Jengka Fire and Rescue Station were deployed to the Maran crash after receiving an emergency call at 6.47pm.
"Upon arrival at the scene, it was found that the driver and passenger of the MPV were trapped inside the vehicle, and firefighters used rescue equipment to extricate the victims."
"However, both victims were pronounced dead at the scene," he said in a statement.
He added that the number and condition of occupants in the other vehicle involved could not immediately be confirmed, as members of the public had already transported them to a nearby medical facility for treatment before emergency responders arrived.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the MPV carrying the two sisters had been travelling from Jengka 19 towards Bandar Pusat Jengka when the collision occurred.
In the earlier accident near Chini, Mohd Salahuddin said firefighters from the Chini Fire and Rescue Station responded after receiving a distress call at 5.55pm.
The collision involved an MPV, a pick-up truck and a passenger car travelling along Jalan Kuantan-Segamat.
"Firefighters extricated all the victims and found that the drivers of the car and the MPV had died at the scene."
"The accident also injured four passengers in the car, two passengers in the MPV and the driver of the pick-up truck," he said.
All injured victims were taken to Hospital Pekan for further treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were sent to the same hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Initial findings indicated that both the car and MPV had been travelling from Segamat towards Kuantan before colliding with the pick-up truck travelling in the opposite direction.
The identities of the victims in the Chini crash had yet to be officially released.
The deaths of Dinie Hanis and Dinie Nasuha have deeply affected the local community, with relatives describing them as hardworking sisters who had devoted themselves to supporting their family following the death of their father, who had served as a driver with the Temerloh Religious Affairs Office.
Family relative Ahmad Samadi Ibrahim, 55, said he received news of the tragedy at about 8pm after being informed by his younger brother, who works as an ambulance driver.
He said Dinie Hanis had recently returned from Kelantan after personally inviting relatives to attend her forthcoming wedding before resuming her usual food business.
"She had just returned from Kelantan to invite relatives to her wedding. She then continued her usual business before the tragedy occurred."
"All the wedding preparations had been completed. Our entire family was shocked when we received news of her passing," he said.
According to Ahmad Samadi, the sisters had helped their widowed mother operate food and traditional cake businesses at several locations, including Bandar Pusat Jengka, Temerloh Jaya and Simpang Jengka.
"They were extremely hardworking. From a young age they helped their mother with the family business. After their father passed away, they became among the main breadwinners for the family."
"Hanis was also cheerful and friendly. Many customers knew her because she regularly sold food at local markets and trading sites throughout the area," he said.
He added that he had last seen the sisters about two weeks earlier at a night market, where they were carrying on with their daily routines as usual.
Both sisters were laid to rest at the Sungai Gau Muslim Cemetery in an emotional funeral attended by grieving family members, relatives and close friends.
Their deaths have left not only an irreplaceable void within their family but also deep sorrow throughout the local community, where they were widely remembered as industrious, independent young women who consistently placed their family's welfare before their own. - June 20, 2026
