ALOR STAR: A 25-year-old woman was killed after the car she was travelling in with four relatives skidded and fell into a ditch at Km43 of the North-South Expressway (NSE) last night.
The incident occurred near the Hutan Kampung toll plaza as the vehicle was travelling south to Pendang during a heavy downpour at about 10.40pm.
It is learnt that the car was driven by a man believed to be the victim's brother-in-law.
Other passengers included three children, aged between three and eight.
The driver is believed to have lost control of the car after he hit a puddle, causing the vehicle to skid to the left of the road and land in the ditch, which was filled with water due to the rain.
Alor Star Fire station chief Ahmad Nozlan Zakaria said firemen had to force open the car to retrieve the deceased, who was trapped in her seat.
"We arrived at the location at 10.59pm. A team of seven firemen was involved in the operation," he said.
He added that the driver and three children escaped with minor injuries.
All the victims were sent to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital for treatment, he added.