KOTA BARU: Three people were killed and two seriously injured when the car they were in smashed into an electric utility pole at the Kampung Batu Karang junction along the Pasir Mas-Rantau Panjang road early this morning.
The identities of the victims, believed to be foreigners, have not been established as no personal documents were found at the scene.
Rescue work was hampered as live electric cables had come lose and were entangled with the car.
A Fire and Rescue spokesman said it received a report on the incident at 4.15am, and a team led by Senior Fire officer II Mokhtar Che Mah from the Rantau Panjang station reached the scene 10 minutes later.
"The team had to size up the situation to ensure it was safe, and there was no risk of electric shock," said the spokesman, adding that the team managed to extricate the victims using hydraulic equipment.
"Two of the victims were seriously injured and sent to hospital, while three others were confirmed dead,” he added.
