SANDAKAN: Two children burnt to death when the lorry they were in caught fire after plunging into a ravine at Kampung Pampang, Batu 10 yesterday.
The charred remains of the girls, identified only as Marcilla, 5, and Amanda Fairuz, 8, were found trapped inside the six-tonne lorry in the 7pm incident.
Initial reports suggest that the lorry, carrying liquefied petroleum gas tanks, had skidded and crashed into a ravine.
A man believed to the driver, identified as Asim Taladu, 32, was injured while a female passenger in her 20s suffered burns.
A district fire and rescue spokesman said the they recieved a distress call at 7.13pm and deployed two fire engines with 10 personnel to the scene.
"The team managed to control the blaze at 7.54pm.
"Upon inspection, the team found the charred remains of two children in the vehicle. The bodies were handed over to the police," he said.
The spokesman said the relationship between the two deceased and the survivors have yet to be ascertained. The injured victims were taken to the Duchess of Kent Hospital.