Driver Killed, Passenger Hurt After Car Catches Fire Following Crash On NPE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- A driver was killed while his passenger suffered minor injuries after the car they were in skidded and burned in an accident on KM14.9 of the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) at about 8 am today.

Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department acting director Rozihan Anwar Mamat said the Kuala Lumpur Operations Centre received an emergency call regarding the incident at 8.28 am.

"A nine-man team from the Seputeh Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched to the scene, together with a Fire Rescue Tender-1 (FRT truck) and an Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) van.

"Upon arrival at the scene, we found a Toyota Vios car on fire, believed to be due to the impact of a road accident, before it was razed,” he said in a statement today.

He added that the injured man was sent to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre while the driver's body was handed over to the police.

It was learnt that members of the public managed to pull them out of the car before it was engulfed in flame and the two are believed to be related.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), when contacted by Bernama, said the accident caused a traffic snarl of over 300 metres on the expressway.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Investigation and Enforcement Department chief ACP Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa said preliminary investigations found that the accident is believed to have occurred when the 28-year-old driver crashed into the road divider, resulting in the Toyota Altis car being completely burnt.

"The driver, who suffered serious head injuries, was confirmed dead at the scene while the passenger, a 24-year-old man, suffered head injuries and was taken to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre,” he said in a statement.

He said the case has been classified under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

-- BERNAMA