Baby girl among 7 killed in 3-vehicle crash on Malaysia highway

A baby girl was among seven people killed in a horrific three-vehicle crash in Melaka state on Monday as 2 million cars packed Malaysia’s highway for the long Christmas break.

The accident near the town of Ayer Keroh, south of Kuala Lumpur, involved a tour bus carrying 27 passengers colliding with a minivan with five passengers and a trailer.

All five in the minivan died, alongside the drivers of the coach and trailer.

Melaka fire and rescue chief Mohd Pisar Aziz said 33 other people were also injured in the crash and they had been sent to three hospitals for treatment.

“We took almost four hours [to clear the crash]. The process of clearing the bus, trailer and minivan … is being carried out,” Mohd Pisar told reporters on the site at midnight.

Traffic was completely stalled for more than 10km, resulting in a flurry of videos on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook from motorists who were caught in the gridlock.

Malaysia ranks third globally for road fatalities, with 22.48 deaths per 100,000 people, according to a 2023 research by German-based car subscription company FINN.