A father and his two daughters died after an Immigration Department truck allegedly ran a red light and triggered a series of crashes in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur early on Wednesday.
Preliminary investigations found that the empty truck, driven by a 43-year-old man, was headed to Chow Kit district at about 1am to pick up undocumented migrants detained in an operation, said Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa.
Authorities believe the Isuzu Black Maria truck entered the intersection at Jalan Bukit Bintang with its beacon lights and siren activated while the traffic light was red. At the same time, a Proton Saga driven by a 50-year-old man was travelling straight through the intersection with the lights in his favour.
“The driver is believed to have been unable to avoid the truck, resulting in a collision in the middle of the intersection,” Mohd Zamzuri said.
The impact caused the truck to lose control and veer off course, striking the family of four, who were walking nearby, as well as an Inokom Matrix car that was stationary at the same intersection traffic lights.
The 53-year-old father and his daughters, aged 25 and 12, were killed at the scene. The 55-year-old mother, the sole survivor, sustained injuries to her head, right hand and both legs and was rushed to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for further treatment.