KOTA KINABALU: Two people were killed while five others were hurt after the car they were travelling in crashed into an electricity pole and then a tree at Jalan Tuaran by-pass near here early Wednesday (Nov 8).
A 17-year-old boy and a man, aged 23, were confirmed to have died on the spot by the paramedics following the 4.30am incident.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said the five others injured were aged from 15 to 22 years old.
He said one of them, a 21-year-old passenger, was badly hurt and was being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I (QEHI).
He said that the victims were heading from the city centre to their home at the Telipok resettlement scheme, some 24km away.
He said the driver had lost control of the Toyota Avanza car at high speed, causing it to veer onto the left side of the road before ploughing into an electricity pole and a large tree.
“Because of the impact, one of the fatalities was flung out of the vehicle while the other was trapped in the back seat.
“Both were pronounced dead at the scene,” he said when contacted.
ACP Mohd Zaidi said the driver and other passengers managed to crawl out of the car, which had landed on its side.
Firefighters had to be called in to help free the trapped victim.
He added the driver and a passenger were given treatment at the Tuaran district hospital, which was close to their home.
“The three other injured victims were sent to QEHI and II for treatment,” he said, adding the bodies of the dead victims have been sent for an autopsy at QEHI.
Investigations have been framed under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death due to reckless and dangerous driving, he said.