Two die in car-lorry collision on Gum Gum Road in Sandakan

KOTA KINABALU: A man and a woman died in a collision between a five-tonne lorry and a car in Sandakan early on Saturday (Aug 24).

In the fatal mishap, the identities of the deceased have yet to be ascertained. The accident occurred around 9am along Mile 17 Gum-Gum Road.

Three others, comprising a man and two women from the same car, sustained serious and minor injuries.

According to a statement by the State Fire and Rescue Department, they received a distress call at around 9.34am.

Three of the victims had been taken out of the vehicle by passersby, while two others remained pinned inside the wrecked car.

“The three injured people were later sent to the hospital for emergency treatment while two victims were pronounced dead at the scene,” said the statement.

Earlier that morning at another location in Sandakan, van driver Mohhamed Yassen, 30, crashed into a tree near the Mile 1 ½ Proton Service Centre and broke his calf bone at around 4.30am.

He was taken to the hospital for treatment after firemen rescued him from the van. There were no other casualties involved.

In a different incident, firemen rescued three men after a two-car collision at the Jalan Sabindo Putatan traffic light just after midnight. According to the fire department, two of the injured victims managed to get out of their car on their own, while another had to wait for assistance due to more serious injuries.

They were all taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment, and operations on-site ended at 1.50am.