KOTA BARU - A supper outing by three friends and their new American acquaintance ended in tragedy when three of them were burnt to death.

Their car overturned and caught fire at Bunut Payung here about 5am yesterday.

The dead were identified as American Christopher Gonzales, Tengku Shamsu Tuan Ibrahim (both 25), and a woman known only as Diana, 22.

The car driver, Tengku Ahmad Nazim Tengku Ibrahim, 30, from Jalan Long Yunus here, escaped before the car caught fire.

He suffered burns on his legs, hands and back, and was admitted to the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZ II)

When met at the Teratai ward, Tengku Ahmad Nazim said Tengku Shamsu, who was from Tanah Merah and Diana from Ketereh, were his friends and they got to know Gonzales at a hotel on Saturday night.

"We were going to Pasir Mas to eat eel soup for supper and Gonzales joined us because he wanted to try it. The accident happened when we were on the way back.

"I tried to avoid a cat that was crossing the road and lost control of the car before hitting the wall of a bridge and overturning.

"The last thing I remembered was crawling out of the car before it caught fire. And then, I lost consciousness," said Tengku Ahmad Nazim from his hospital bed.

Kota Darul Naim fire station senior officer Abdul Ghani Mamat said they received a call at 5.13am and a fire engine from his station and Kota Baru station, with a total of 12 personnel, were dispatched to the scene.

He said firemen took about 10 minutes to put out the fire and 20 minutes to extricate the bodies.

"Two of the bodies were found trapped inside the car while another was pinned under it," Ghani said.

All the bodies were sent to HRPZ II.

-New Straits Times