KUALA KANGSAR: A 12-tonne lorry caught fire at Km260 of the North-South Expressway today, triggering a 3km-long crawl of northbound motorists.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad said they were alerted to the incident at 6.42pm.
He said a team of firemen from Kuala Kangsar, assisted by another team from Meru, was rushed to the scene and arrived about 15 minutes later.
"Upon arrival, the fire had engulfed 35 per cent of the lorry, which was carrying a load of fruit baskets.
"There were no casualties, and firemen are still dousing the fire," he said.
Meanwhile, a Malaysian Highway Authority spokesman said that traffic was congested for about 3km at present.
"The fire is completely under control, and we expect traffic to be smooth soon," he said when contacted.
According to Plus on its X account, the right lane of the expressway was blocked, and traffic was congested as of 7.38pm.
Earlier, it was reported that a lorry overturned and blocked Km257 of the NSE (northbound), causing a 6km-long traffic crawl.
Plus said on its social media platform that the accident occurred between the Menora Tunnel and Kuala Kangsar.
Sabarodzi said they were alerted to the accident at 1.57pm and a team of firemen from Kuala Kangsar was deployed to the scene.
He said there were two people in the vehicle; the driver, who was pinned to his seat, was killed.