Kota tinggi: Two individuals were killed after the car they were travelling in caught fire following an accident along Jalan Tanjung Balau heading towards Sedili, near an oil palm plantation here early this morning.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Penawar Fire and Rescue Station Operation Commander Senior Fire Officer I Faizal Ahmad stated that they received a distress call at 4.48 am. A team of eight firefighters was dispatched to the scene, located about 17 kilometres from the station. The team found a Toyota Vios that had skidded and crashed into a tree before bursting into flames and razing almost the whole vehicle.

'There were two victims, a 21-year-old man and a woman believed to be an adult, who were trapped inside the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene,' Faizal Ahmad said in a statement. He noted that the blaze was brought under control at 5.16 am, and the operation was fully completed at 6.11 am. Both victims were confirmed dead at the scene before their remains were handed over to the police.

Later on, Kota Tinggi police chief Supt Yusof Othman reported that the accident, which occurred at about 4.30 am, involved 21-year-old Muhammad Daniel Saberi, who was driving the car, and 17-year-old Aiza Nur Elysha Sabri, of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Semenchu, who was in the front passenger seat. "Both victims sustained severe injuries and burns all over their bodies, and were confirmed dead at the scene,' Yusof Othman said in a statement.

He added that their preliminary investigation found that the accident is believed to have occurred when the vehicle they were in skidded and crashed into a tree. The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.