A Perak Fire and Rescue Department spokesman told Bernama they received a distress call about the accident involving the oil tanker and a lorry, laden with retail goods, at 8.51am and sent three fire engines to the scene.

“When we arrived at the scene, the lorry and tanker were on fire and one of the drivers had met with a fiery death.

“Details about the victim have yet to be ascertained,” he said.

A PLUS spokesman said the north-bound stretch from Slim River to Sungkai was closed after the accident and traffic congestion lasted till after lunchtime.

Video footage showed the diesel from the tanker spilling onto the side of the highway, setting the vegetation by the roadside on fire and spewing thick smoke into the air.

Muallim district police chief Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof told Bernama the oil tanker was believed to have rammed into the back of the other lorry before it turned turtle and caught fire.

This blocked the two-lane expressway, causing traffic congestion for several kilometres.

Those heading north were advised to take an alternative route before reaching Slim River.