IPOH: Five were burnt to death when the car they were travelling in caught fire after being involved in a collision with two trailers at KM246 of the North-South Expressway northbound near Kuala Kangsar early this morning.

A Perak Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they received a distress call about the incident at about 12.52 am.

"Upon receiving the call, we immediately deployed personnel and officers from the Kuala Kangsar Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) and assisted by Meru Raya BPP, Kamunting BPP and Ipoh BPP," he said in a statement here today.

According to him, the five victims, who have yet to be identified, were travelling in a car when it was involved in a collision with a 20-tonne Volvo trailer laden with iron rods and another similar trailer ferrying mosaic tiles.

Both the car and the first trailer were 90 per cent burnt, while the other trailer did not catch fire.

He said the five victims were confirmed dead by the hospital's medical officer while the three men who boarded the two trailers escaped uninjured.

He added that the bodies of the five victims were sent to Kuala Kangsar Hospital for post-mortem.

-- BERNAMA