SHAH ALAM, May 23 — The father of one of the three victims who died in a crash involving a cement lorry at Kilometre 34 of the Karak Highway heading towards Kuala Lumpur earlier today shared that his son had intended to get married next year.

Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader, 62, a prominent lawyer, said his son Adli Hakim Akberdin, 24, a student at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), had planned to marry his close friend Athirah Najwa Mohd Tajul Ashikin, 27, who was also seriously injured in the incident.

“The girl who was badly injured (Athirah Najwa) was supposed to be my son’s future wife, and we had already planned for them to get married next year,” he said when met at the Section 21 Muslim Cemetery here yesterday.

In the 2.15am incident, the Volkswagen Golf car carrying Adli Hakim and three others was believed to have skidded before being involved in a crash.

Ameer Ashraf Khairul Annuar, 24, and Afiq Jamal Abdul Nasir, 26, also perished, while Athirah Najwa was admitted to the Selayang Hospital.

Akberdin said he only learned about the incident after his eldest son received a call from a friend of the victims who was travelling in another vehicle following them on the way back from Genting Highlands.

“I rushed to the scene with my eldest son, and when we arrived, fire and rescue personnel as well as paramedics were already carrying out rescue operations to extricate the victims trapped in the vehicle,” he said.

He said paramedics later confirmed that the three men had died at the scene, while Athirah Najwa, who was still breathing, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Akberdin added that the family was continuing to pray for the woman’s recovery, noting that she had reportedly regained consciousness from a coma and had begun asking about the incident.

Meanwhile, Akberdin said Adli Hakin, his fifth child, was a good-natured, obedient son who was well-liked by family members.

He said the last time they spent time together was on Sunday during a family holiday in Genting Highlands.

The remains of Adli Hakim were sent for post-mortem at 3pm and later taken to the Section 7 Mosque here for funeral rites, where hundreds of worshippers attended the prayers before he was laid to rest at 6.05pm, with more than 200 family members and close friends in attendance, including Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — Three men were killed while a woman was seriously injured after the car they were travelling in crashed into the rear of a cement lorry at Kilometre 34 of the Karak Highway heading towards the federal capital, near Kampung Sungai Chinchin, early this morning.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the department received an emergency call regarding the incident at 2.07am.

He said a team comprising six personnel and officers, along with a fire engine and the Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit from the Selayang Fire and Rescue Station, was immediately rushed to the scene.

“Upon arriving at the location at 2.35am, the fire team found four victims trapped inside a Volkswagen vehicle and an operation to extricate all the victims was immediately carried out.

“Three male victims in their 20s were pronounced dead at the scene by a medical officer from the Ministry of Health (MOH), while a 27-year-old woman suffered serious head injuries and a fractured left leg,” he said in a statement.

Ahmad Mukhlis said the injured victim was handed over to the MOH for further treatment, while the bodies of the three victims were handed over to the police for further action. — Bernama