KUANTAN, July 11 — A total of 20 people injured in an accident at Km246.4 of the East Coast Expressway (LPT) early today received treatment at two hospitals here.

District police chief ACP Ashari Abu Samah said 18 victims were treated at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA), while two others received treatment at Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre here.

“Further investigations revealed that more than 30 motorcycles, believed to have been racing, were involved in the accident that claimed four lives,” he said when contacted.

Earlier, Ashari said the crash, which occurred at about 1 am, claimed the lives of Che Mohd Sufian Che Ghani, 40, Muhammad Hafiz Al Hakim Mazlan, 33, and Mohd Aizat Husni, 33, who were all riding Yamaha RXZ motorcycles. They died at the scene.

He said another victim, Muhammad Safawi Md Noh, 24, died while receiving treatment at HTAA.

The accident is believed to have occurred when a motorcycle hit the rear of a car and fell onto the right lane, resulting in a chain-reaction collision involving several other motorcyclists.

Meanwhile, Che Mohd Sufian’s wife, Faridah Mat Asri, 39, said she was informed about the incident by a friend at about 1.30 am.

The mother of four said her husband and several friends had travelled to Kuantan from Terengganu, among others, to enjoy a meal at a popular traditional Pahang food restaurant in the city.

“The last time I saw him was yesterday afternoon, before I took our children to the beach. The last message I received from him was at midnight, and after that there were no more messages,” she told reporters when met at HTAA. — Bernama