Burnt remains of elderly man found in car blaze at Johor beach

The remains of an elderly man were discovered in the driver's seat following a fatal car blaze in Johor.

The incident occurred on Wednesday (Sept 24) at around 4.50pm near a beach in Batu Pahat, Johor, according to Senior Operations Commander, Fire and Rescue Assistant Superintendent Norhisham Abdul Talib.

Eight firefighters were dispatched to the scene.

They confirmed upon arrival that the car was ablaze, but were initially unable to reach it as the beach paths were too narrow for the fire engine.

Instead, the firefighters borrowed motorcycles to reach the burning vehicle which was about 2km away, said Norhisham, adding that initial firefighting efforts had to be carried out using water drawn from a nearby river using buckets.

Firefighters subsequently found charred human remains in the vehicle after putting out the fire.

The police said that initial investigations revealed that the remains discovered belonged to a 72-year-old man, and that the identity will be confirmed through a DNA test.

They have classified the case as a sudden death investigation, and appealed to the public for information.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com