KOTA KINABALU: Two children were among five people killed in a horrific accident between a lorry tanker and a Toyota Hilux along the Sandakan-Telupid road in east coast Sabah.
Three other adult passengers were seriously injured in the accident at Batu 36, Sandakan-Telupid road about 80km from Sandakan at about 4.50am yesterday.
The dead have been identified as driver Bassar Umar, 40, Pauji Ahi, 25, Abdillah Ahi, 18, Nuraisyah Binti Jabir, 11, and 10-year-old Nurhafisa Binti Jabir while the injured are Jabir Dasad, 49, Noron Ayan, 34, and an unidentified woman who is in her 20s.
Sandakan district police chief Asst Comm Zabidi Md Zain said all eight victims, including the five dead, were inside the Toyota Hilux while the lorry driver escaped with minor injuries.
The five were killed on the spot while the injured – two men and a woman – were rushed to the Beluran hospital before being transferred to the Duchess of Kent Hospital for further treatment.
ACP Zabidi urged witnesses to come forward to assist police in their investigations. He said the driver of the lorry tanker had been detained for further investigations.
Initial investigations showed that the Toyota Hilux was heading towards Telupid with the lorry heading in the opposite direction towards Sandakan.
In the apparent head-on crash, the Toyota Hilux was badly mangled while the lorry overturned.
“We are still trying to establish the cause of the accident,” he said.
He urged the public to call the investigating officer Insp Zabir Aripin at 089-242 254 if they had any information about the predawn accident.
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