JOHOR BARU, March 6 — Three people were killed and two others injured in a road crash involving a trailer lorry and three cars on the Pasir Gudang Highway near Taman Permas Jaya here last night, according to the fire and rescue authorities.

Johor Jaya Fire & Rescue Station chief, Senior Fire Officer II M. Haridas, identified the dead as the driver of a Honda City car, G. Murugan, 45; M. Kullamah, 73; and the driver of a Perodua Alza car, Chong Chee Ping, 46.

The driver of a Perodua Myvi car, in his 40s, and the 28-year-old trailer lorry driver were injured, he said in a statement.

Haridas said the station was alerted at 11.41 pm and nine fire & rescue personnel rushed to the scene, from the Johor Jaya and Tebrau fire & rescue stations.

The three bodies and the two injured were taken to the Sultan Ismail Hospital here, he said.

Meanwhile, Johor Baru Selatan (JBS) District Police chief ACP Raub Selamat confirmed the incident, adding that it is believed to have occurred when a trailer lorry carrying a container load from Tanjung Pelepas towards Pasir Gudang, veered off the road to the right.

"The lorry, driven by a local man, then went onto the central divider and entered the opposite lane, where it collided with three cars travelling from the Pasir Gudang direction.

"The collision resulted in three fatalities,” he said in a statement.

Investigations are ongoing under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to come forward to the JBS Traffic Office or contact Insp Nur Fathihah Binti Ismail, at 010-4171762 to assist in the investigation. — Bernama