JOHOR BAHRU, April 3 — Three individuals were killed while two others sustained minor injuries in a road accident involving three vehicles at KM212 of the Johor Bahru-Seremban road yesterday.
Johor police chief Datuk CP Ab Rahaman Arsad said the incident, which occurred at around 3.45 pm, is believed to have happened when a trailer driven by a local man crashed into the rear of a van carrying the victims.
“Due to the impact, the van lost control before entering the opposite lane and colliding with the front of a lorry,” he said in a statement early this morning.
He added that three victims who were in the van were pronounced dead at the scene due to severe injuries.
Two other passengers in the van sustained minor injuries and were taken to Segamat Hospital for further treatment, while the drivers of the lorry and the trailer were not injured.
According to him, the trailer driver has been detained to assist in the investigation, and initial urine tests found that the man tested positive for methamphetamine.
The case is being investigated under Section 44(1)(a) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for driving under the influence of drugs and causing death, as well as Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for consuming drugs.
The trailer driver will be brought to the Segamat Magistrate’s Court this morning for a remand application.
Johor police urged members of the public with information related to the incident to come forward to assist in the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Johor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), in a statement, said that the incident, which occurred at the Taman Golden Hill intersection in Gemas Baharu, involved a van, a Volvo trailer lorry, and a 10-tonne lorry.
Operations commander Zainal Abidin Che Deraman said that upon arrival at the scene, his team confirmed that the accident involved a total of seven victims.
He added that rescue operations to free trapped victims, as well as clearing the accident site, were carried out until the operation was fully concluded at 5.35 pm. — Bernama
