TAWAU: A soldier and his mother-in-law were killed after the four-wheel drive they were travelling in with four other family members skidded and plunged into a ravine at Km7 of Jalan Merotai-Dumpas last night.
In the 9.20pm incident, the driver of the four-wheel drive, Yusop Yaris, 44, of the Kukusan Camp Joint Force Headquarters, died at the scene, while Morni Sirat, 57, his mother in-law who was seated in the rear, died while receiving treatment at the Tawau General Hospital.
Tawau police chief ACP Fadil Marsus said both died of injuries to the head after being thrown out of the vehicle.
"The accident also caused Morni's husband, Rukidi N.D Rosdi, 64, to sustain injuries to his chest, while her two children, Musniyah, 32, and Khairunisa, 20, as well as grandson Mohamad Aqil Zaqan Abdul, 3, who were also sitting in the rear, escaped without any injuries," he said in a statement.
He said initial investigations revealed that the Isuzu D-Max four-wheel drive was heading to Tawau from Lawas, Sarawak.
"When it arrived at the site of the accident, the vehicle skidded to the right of the road and overturned before plunging into the ravine," he said.
It is understood that Yusop's body was handed to the Malaysian Armed Forces and brought to his wife's home in Taman Ria here, while Morni's funeral will be held today.
At the late Morni's residence in Jalan Mawar Kg Jawa, relatives, neighbours, members of the military and the Tawau Police Family Association (Perkep) paid their last respects. - BERNAMA