JOHOR BAHRU: A seven-year-old Singaporean boy was killed in a road crash involving two vehicles at KM2.4 of Jalan Pantai towards Permas Jaya here last night.

It is learnt that the victim was travelling with his parents, younger sibling and a domestic helper at the time of the crash.

Johor Bahru Selatan district police chief ACP Raub Selamat said the 10.34 pm incident involved a car carrying four Singaporeans and an Indonesian, aged two to 44, while the lorry driver was a 57-year-old Malaysian man.

“The accident is believed to have occurred when a lorry heading from Masai towards the city centre lost control and veered into the opposite lane before colliding with the car carrying the victims.

“As a result, the boy, who was seated in the back, was thrown out of the vehicle,” he said in a statement posted on the Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Facebook page today.

Raub said the police were later informed that the boy was pronounced dead at 3 am while receiving treatment at a private hospital, while the other injured victims were treated at Sultan Ismail Hospital here.

He added that the lorry driver had been arrested, and a urine test found him positive for methamphetamine. Further checks revealed that he did not have a driving licence.

The case is being investigated under Sections 44(1), 26(1), 56(1) and 15(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 and Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.