‘Couple burnt to death in Kedah car crash left child behind’

IT was a sombre scene at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital’s forensic unit as an elderly woman wept over the tragic deaths of her son and daughter-inlaw, whose bodies were burnt in a car crash during the wee hours on Thursday.

The woman was consoled by relatives as she covered her face, weeping silently while waiting for the charred remains of her loved ones to be released.

The incident did not only took away her son, Lim Gi Ying, 21, and daughter-in-law Tan Sun Wen, 19, but also left the couple’s young child orphaned.

It was learnt that the couple was travelling home after Lim finished helping his mother at her stall in Jalan Seberang Perak, when the 3am incident occurred.

It was also learnt that their child was left under the care of Tan’s relative when they left for work.

Kota Setar police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Shukri Mat Akhir said initial investigation showed that the victims were travelling from Tesco Mergong intersection.

”However, the car driver lost control when approaching the traffic light near Raden. The car crashed to the left side of the road before hitting a road sign. It then caught fire, killing both of them.”

He added that Tan’s charred remains were identified through her identity card, while Lim’s was identified by his family. The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Sayani Saidon said firefighters from the Fire and Rescue Department here were deployed to the scene upon being alerted to the incident at 3.11am.

“Initial investigations suggest that the Perodua Myvi caught fire after the crash, with 80 per cent of the vehicle gutted.”

He said the driver’s remains were extracted from the vehicle at 4.59am, followed by the female passenger six minutes later.