MELAKA: A baby girl was among seven people killed in a horrific accident involving three vehicles at KM204 of the northbound North-South Expressway, according to the Melaka Fire and Rescue Department.
The department's director, Mohd Pisar Aziz, stated that the accident occurred around 8.40pm near the Ayer Keroh Rest and Recreational (R&R) area. It involved a multipurpose vehicle (MPV), a tour bus, and a trailer carrying used clothes.
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The baby was among five MPV passengers trapped under the trailer and were found lifeless when the rescue team arrived. The other two fatalities were the driver and a passenger of the tour bus.
"A total of 40 people were involved in the accident, with seven fatalities, and 33 others were sent to Melaka and Alor Gajah Hospitals as well as a private hospital here due to injuries sustained in the collision.
"It took us about four hours to complete the full operation, including the process of removing the wrecked vehicles," he said on Tuesday (Dec 24).
He noted that all the deceased were sent to the Melaka Hospital's mortuary.
It is understood that the MPV had eight individuals inside and was completely crushed between the tour bus and the trailer.
The stretch from Ayer Keroh Toll Plaza heading north was fully closed and traffic was diverted, resulting in congestion lasting over four hours as the middle and right lanes were entirely shut on Monday night (Dec 23).
Preliminary information from those involved in the rescue operations suggests the MPV driver and passengers were from Johor and were likely heading to Kuala Lumpur.
Alor Gajah OCPD Supt Ashari Abu Samah provided an update early Tuesday morning (Dec 24) that his investigation officers are still identifying the details of the deceased, noting that one male victim's body was severed above the waist due to the collision's impact.
The expressway experienced heavy traffic after the government announced toll-free travel for highway users nationwide, starting at 12.01am on Dec 23 (Monday) until 11.59pm on Dec 24 (Tuesday), in conjunction with Christmas Day.
