![[UPDATED] Four perish in fiery expressway accident near Alor Star](https://media.thevibes.com/images/uploads/covers/_large/20220321-PLUS_accident_1-Pic_courtesy_of_Fire_and_Rescue_Department.jpg)
ALOR STAR – Three people in a car died when the Proton Wira they were in collided with a Nissan Almera on the North-South Highway (PLUS) near Pendang in Kedah at about 2.20am today.
The victims have been identified as Shahrin Hafi Omar, 49; Mohamad Syafiq Kassim, 26; and a 52-year-old presently only named as Arni.
The driver of the Almera, which was charred, also died.
Fire and Rescue Department officer Mohd Ezzat Emran Ezani said they found the Almera 90% burnt and have yet to get the details of the victim in it.
“We used special rescue tools to remove the bodies from the Proton Wira. We put out the fire completely in about 35 minutes.
“At about 5.45am, the firemen managed to remove the (remains of) the victim from the Nissan Almera and handed over to the police for further action,” Ezzat said.
He added that the operations ended at 6.05am. No other details of the victims are available for the time being.
Two fire engines with a crew of 14 from Pendang rushed to the scene at KM58.2 of the expressway. They were assisted by a volunteer fire team from Tanah Merah.
The forensics investigators are working to establish the cause of the accident and the losses.
Meanwhile, Pendang district police chief Arriz Sham Hamezah said the traffic department is helping to determine the cause of the incident.
He said the district police headquarters received an emergency call at 2.30am informing it of the accident.
Initial investigations at the scene showed that the Proton Wira car driven by a man may have lost control and turned turtle, and was then hit by the Nissan Almera.
“As a result of the collision, the Proton Wira is believed to have slipped into an overpass and hit a roadblock while the Nissan Almera car caught fire," Arriz said.
“The driver and two passengers of the Proton Wira and the driver of the Nissan Almera were confirmed to have died on the spot.”
Police are appealing for eyewitnesses as well as the victims' next of kin to assist in the investigations.
He requested assistance from the public who have lost their next of kin or know that they have gone missing in the area, asking them to contact Muhamad Atiq Elias from the Investigation and Traffic Enforcement Division at the Pendang district police headquarters at 0127778761 or 04-7592122. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022
