A fireman who was involved in the rescue operations during the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993 was killed when his motorcycle crashed at a traffic light junction in Kinrara early today.

Senior Fire Officer 1 N Yogaraja, who died on the spot in the 2am crash, was heading to his office in Batu 6 Jalan Klang Lama from his house in Taman Mawar Kinrara when the mishap occurred.

It was believed that the motorcycle he was riding had skidded and crashed into a road divider.

The victim's eldest son, Y Prakash, 19, said the last time he spoke to his father was at about 8.30pm yesterday, before he got a phone call at 3am today to inform him about the incident.

"I went to his office yesterday to take the house keys and he told me to drive carefully and study hard. I never thought that will be his last words of advice," he told reporters when met at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre here.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department K9 Unit chief Donny Chap described Yogaraja, 51, who was attached to the unit, as a disciplined and committed officer.

He said Yogaraja had served in the department for 27 years and was among the earliest personnel to join the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) and the department's air unit.

Yogaraja is survived by his wife, Monica Susan, 41 and two children, Prakash and Avina, 17.

- Bernama