KOTA KINABALU: Two sisters were killed after the car they were travelling in caught fire following a three-vehicle pile-up near the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, off Jalan Kepayan here early Friday (Aug 30).
The women, believed to be in their 20s, were travelling in a car that was involved in a collision with a four-wheel drive vehicle and another car.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm Kasim Muda said they were notified of the incident at 2.35am.
Early investigations, he said, found that the four-wheel drive vehicle had collided with the sisters' car.
This caused the car to spin and end up in the middle of the road, crashing into the right side of the other car, he said.
“Their car then ended up on the roadside near a flyover on the stretch before catching fire,” he said, in a statement on Friday (Aug 30).
ACP Kasim said the women’s remains were extricated by firemen on the scene, adding that a medical team from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital was also present.
He said further investigations were still being carried out over the incident.
Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Fire and Rescue station chief Ordine Gilu said the car in which the deceased victims were travelling had been substantially burned.
“On putting out the fire, we found two victims inside.
“We retrieved the bodies before handing them over to the police for the next course of action,” he said.
He said the drivers of the other two vehicles, aged 22 and 34 years old, sustained minor injuries in the incident, adding that they ended the operation at 4.40am after ensuring there were no other safety risks at the scene.