ARAU: A 27-year-old man was killed, while his future fiancée was seriously injured when the car they were travelling in plunged into a drain near the Mata Ayer Futsal Court at Jalan Mata Ayer-Bukit Keteri here this morning.
The man, identified as Muhammad Zaidi Nasharuddin, was driving Siti Nur Naimah Abd Rashid, 20, to her workplace in Kangar when he lost control of his Proton Saga, which skidded to the side of the road in the 8.30am incident.
Nur Naimah is currently fighting for her life in the intensive care unit of the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital here.
A spokesperson for the Arau Fire and Rescue Department said a distress call on the incident was received at 8.36am.
He said Nur Naimah had already been removed from the vehicle by passersby when the rescue team arrived, while Zaidi’s body was still pinned to his seat.
"It took the team about 15 minutes to extricate Zaidi’s body. He was pronounced dead by the medical team present at the scene," he added.
Arau district police deputy chief Deputy Superintendent Abdul Samad Othman said fatigue may have been a factor in the accident.
"It is believed that the driver was sleepy, which caused him to lose control of the car," he said when contacted today.
Meanwhile, Nur Naimah’s relative, who declined to be named, said the duo was planning their engagement and that both families met several months ago to discuss the matter.