IPOH: Five people from a family, including a six-year-old girl, died when the car they were travelling in collided with a pick-up truck along the East-West Highway.
The accident, which occurred near Gerik, also left four from the truck injured.
According to a Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson, a distress call was received around 3.45pm yesterday.
The deceased have been identified as Mohd Rodhi Othman, 64, Ahmad Khomaini Baba, 32, Sharifah Rohana Syed Sagaf, 59, and Siti Aishah Mohd Rodhi, 32.
The child has been identified as Zara Hana Ahmad Khomaini.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said that both the vehicles had five occupants each when the accident occurred.
Initial investigations showed that the driver of the pickup truck had lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it swaying into the opposite direction and crashing into the car.
He said the driver was heading from Gerik to Jeli when the incident happened along the East-West Highway near Gerik.
“The family in the car including a six-year-old girl was respectively from Sungai Petani and Lunas in Kedah, and they were heading towards the direction of Gerik.
“The driver and the four passengers from Tumpat in Kelantan sustained injuries, and have been sent to the Hospital Jeli, while the bodies were sent to the Hospital Gerik for postmortem,” he said on Sunday (July 24).
Their next of kin have been notified.
Comm Mior Faridalathrash said the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
“The public is being urged to be more careful when driving, to plan their journey, and get enough rest especially when traveling a far distance,” he said.
> This story has been amended to correct some information
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