Couple, 18 & 20, who died in Johor motorbike crash get married in 'ghost wedding'

A young couple killed instantly in a four-vehicle accident in Johor on Oct. 24 were reunited as husband and wife in the afterlife through a ghost marriage.

Sky Chang Ji Shiang, 20, and Pang Chong Chong, 18, had been together for three years, New Straits Times reported.

Around 10:20pm that night, they were riding Chang's newly purchased motorcycle on Jalan Muar-Segamat road when it collided into another vehicle.

They both suffered severe head and body injuries, and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Three motorcycles and a car were involved in the crash, which claimed four lives.

The two other victims, aged 19 and 20, worked part-time together at a barber shop in Tangkak.

The driver and passenger of the car were not injured, The Star reported, citing a police officer.

Investigations are ongoing.

Ghost marriage

Practised for about 3,000 years in Chinese culture, a ghost marriage is a ritual conducted by the living to wed two single deceased people to ensure that they have a companion in the afterlife.

It is rarely practised today, including in Malaysia, but some families seeking emotional closure would still perform the ceremony, according to New Straits Times.

A joint wake was held at Chang's family home in Tangkak, Johor, where their coffins were laid side by side.

Funeral service providers told New Straits Times that religious rites would take place in the afternoon of Oct. 26, followed by a simple ghost marriage ceremony later that evening.

According to a Facebook post by SGT Chen Xin Obituary, the two coffins were transported to a crematorium on Oct. 27.

Chang was an only child, his mother told New Straits Times at the forensic department of Tangkak Hospital on Oct. 25.

"How am I supposed to face this ordeal in the future? I no longer have a companion in life," she said.

Top images from 昔加未诚信丧事讣告刊登平台 SGT Chen Xin Obituary/Facebook