Three Malaysians on their way back to work in Singapore died after their Toyota Alphard crashed into a drain in Johor on Saturday (Jun. 1).
The victims were Aw Siew Chern, 35, and a pair of siblings, Chu Wei Yean, 28, and Chu Wan Rou, 31.
They died after the MPV skidded and ended up in a drain with 3m-deep waters at Kilometre 14.3 of Johor's Sultan Iskandar Highway, Malaysian media reported.
The accident
Johor Bahru Utama police chief Supt Yusof Othman said the accident took place at about 8:11am on Jun. 1, according to The Star.
Othman said the MPV was travelling from Bukit Indah to Johor Bahru when Wan Rou, the driver, lost control of it.
It skidded to the left road shoulder before plunging into the drain.
The water inside the drain was 3m deep as the rain had just stopped, Othman noted.
The driver and both passengers were pronounced dead at the scene from internal injuries.
The victims' bodies were recovered by the Larkin Fire and Rescue Department.
Returning to S'pore from visiting parents in Johor
A friend of Wei Yan said that the man and his sister were from Yong Peng in Johor, Sin Chew Daily reported.
He said the man was working in the food and beverage (F&B) industry in Singapore, while his sister was a beautician.
The other victim, Aw, was an employee of a hair salon next to the beauty salon Wan Rou worked at.
The friend said that the siblings had returned to Yong Peng to visit their parents the week before the accident.
While they were on their way back to Singapore, Aw, who was also from Johor, contacted them for a ride as her ride-hailing driver got lost.
A family member of the siblings said Aw was video-calling a friend in the vehicle before the accident happened, China Press reported.
The last word the friend heard from Aw was "sinking".
She then managed to send over their location before her death.
Deceased woman survived by son, 5
Family and relatives of the Chu siblings later visited the site of the accident to pay respects to the deceased, according to Shin Min Daily News.
Image from Shin Min Daily News.
The funerals for the three victims will be held on Jun. 4.
Top image from Sin Chew Daily