Two men were killed and 16 others injured when a tour bus collided with two lorries near Ayer Hitam shortly after midnight.

Ayer Hitam Fire and Rescue Station chief Shamin Salikin said the victims were two Indonesian nationals identified as Hidirman, 43, and Zulhadi, 44, who died at the scene after being trapped in the wreckage.

He said the station received an emergency call at 12.44am.

A Fire Rescue Tender and an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) unit, along with seven personnel from the Ayer Hitam and Yong Peng stations, were quickly dispatched to KM80.7 of the North-South Highway (Plus) where the accident occurred.

“The crash involved a tour bus, a Volvo tow truck and a tanker lorry. Rescue personnel found the two men trapped inside the bus and confirmed them dead at the scene,” he said in a statement today.

Sixteen others, including the bus driver, sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. Another 28 passengers escaped unhurt.

Special equipment was used to extricate the victims, and the rescue operation was called off at 3.03am.

- Bernama