HORRIFIC: Rescue personnel at the scene of the crash this morning — Pic: China Press

SEREMBAN: Six people travelling in a car were burnt to death after it caught fire following an accident at Km252 of the North-South Expressway, near the Senawang toll plaza, about 1.30am today.

Negri Sembilan traffic chief Supt Junaidi Bujang told The Malay Mail this morning that the identities of the victims, who were burnt beyond recognition, could not be ascertained.

"We have yet to identify them. We cannot even confirm if they were related," he said when contacted at 11.30am today.

Junaidi said the identification documents of the victims could have been destroyed when fire razed the car.

"We appeal to those who have not heard from their family members or colleagues to come forward to assist in our investigations."

At Press time, no one had claimed the bodies at the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital in Seremban.

Earlier, Bernama had quoted a police spokesman as saying that the six were trapped inside the ill-fated car that was believed to have gone out of control and crashed into a lorry parked on the shoulder of the expressway.

The impact of the accident set off an explosion in the car, causing its engine to be blown about 50 metres away from the scene of the crash. It was later found in a drain.

"The car may have been driven fast and the driver could have lost control before hitting the parked lorry, a trailer, that was laden with what is believed to be granite powder. The lorry had broken down yesterday afternoon," the spokesman told reporters

A witness, Rashid Razali, 38, who lives in Taman Seremban Selatan, about 150m from the expressway, said he was washing his car when he heard a loud explosion.

"After the explosion, I saw a fire. A few neighbours and I rushed to the expressway to investigate and saw the smoking car," he said .

"We tried to get closer to the burning car but moved away when there was a second explosion. The fire was very intense and the car was a total wreck due to the impact."

Firemen from the Seremban 2 and Senawang Fire and Rescue Department, who arrived in three fire engines, took about three hours to extricate the bodies after using a crane to lift the trailer.