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On Friday afternoon, 21 May, a car, believed to be loaded with firecrackers, exploded at a traffic light in a township in Kota Bharu.
The explosion, said to have been caused after lightning struck the vehicle, killed the driver and injured several others in the vicinity.
According to Kelantan police chief Datuk Shafien Mamat, the explosion had thrown the victim 20 metres from the scene of the incident, as well as tearing his vehicle in two.
Four other cars were also damaged and their drivers sustained injuries
The incident happened around 5pm and an emergency call was made at 5.39pm following which 12 firemen from Darulnaim and Tunjong Fire and Rescue stations rushed to the scene.
It took the firemen from the two units more than one hour to put out the blaze.
All those injured, including a police personnel, in the deadly explosion are currently being treated in the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZII).
Image via Berita Harian
Meanwhile, Shafien was seen taking stock of a nearby building
Ketua Polis Kelantan Datuk Shafien Mamat mengadakan tinjauan di bangunan kawasan berdekatan yang terjejas ekoran insiden sebuah kenderaan yang dipercayai dipanah petir di Simpang 4, Kampung Sireh, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Saufee pic.twitter.com/FV9YT8mzcW
— BERNAMA TV (@BernamaTV) May 21, 2021
Authorities are trying to determine the exact cause of the explosion
While Kota Darulnaim Fire and Rescue Station chief Mohd Ridzuan Ali said the car is believed to have been struck by lightning, Shafien said they are not ruling out the possibility that the car was carrying firecrackers.
The case is being investigated under Section 8 of the Explosives Act 1957.