KUANTAN: Two women died and two others were seriously injured after their car skidded off the East Coast Expressway near Felda Nerek, falling into a 6.1m-deep ravine at KM152.4 of the expressway.
A spokesman from the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) reported that 16 firefighters from the Maran and Temerloh Fire and Rescue Stations rushed to the scene after the department was alerted to the accident at 11.07am Saturday (Jan 4).
Upon arrival, they discovered a car that had veered off the road and plunged into the ravine. Four adult women were found trapped in the vehicle.
"Our team worked to extricate them using specialised rescue tools," the spokesman said in the statement.
He further noted that two women were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two were seriously injured and quickly transported to Temerloh Hospital for treatment.
The remains of the deceased were still at the accident site and have been handed over to the police for further investigation.
In a separate statement, Maran OCPD Supt Wong Kim Wai confirmed that the two women who lost their lives in the accident were the rear-seat passengers of the car. They were identified as V. Kohmathy, 61, and K. Vasanthy, 60, both from Selangor.
The driver, S. Nishantini, 33, and front seat passenger, K. Turgaa Shini, 24, sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Temerloh Hospital.
According to Wong, the car, which was traveling from Banting, Selangor, to the Sri Marathandavar Temple in Maran, lost control when it reached KM152.4 of the East Coast Expressway.
The vehicle veered off the road to the left and plunged into a ravine.
"As a result, Kohmathy and Vasanthy, seated in the rear, died at the scene. Nishantini and Turgaa Shini, seated in the front, were seriously injured,” he said adding that the four victims were related to one another.
It was found that the driver's licence had expired on Dec 21 last year.
A post-mortem was conducted at 5.30pm at Jengka Hospital, and authorities have launched an investigation under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which pertains to causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.– Bernama
