PENAMPANG: Two men died when the motorcycle they were riding skidded off the road before plunging into a drain this morning.
They were trying to avoid a detached truck tyre at Km7, Jalan Penampang-Kota Kinabalu Road.
In the 6.30am incident, the victims aged 17 and 27, were pronounced dead at the scene due to serious injuries.
Penampang Deputy Police chief Deputy Superintendent Erwansyah Abdul Basir said the accident involved three vehicles from Penampang heading towards Kota Kinabalu.
He said upon arriving at the scene, the spare tyre of a commercial vehicle was said to have detached and fallen onto the road.
"Two motorcycles moving from the same direction attempted to evade, causing the motorcycle of the victims to plunge into the drain.
"As a result of the incident, the rider and pillion of the motorcycle suffered severe injuries before being confirmed dead at the scene," he said when contacted today.
Erwansyah said bodies of both victims were sent to the Forensic Department of Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQEI) for an autopsy.
"Further investigations are ongoing under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. The police are requesting witnesses of the incident to come forward."
He also asked that the public refrain from spreading any images or clips related to the incident on social media to respect the families' privacy.
The operation to retrieve the bodies was conducted by a team from the Penampang Fire and Rescue Station.
