Police identified the dead as car driver G Sharvinath, 21, and his friends J Jordan Jackson, 19, and D Hervinraj, 16.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Zulkefly Yahya said the crash happened at 6.49am while they were travelling to the city centre.

The car was said to have gone out of control and hit the divider, before spinning and crashing into the tree on the left of the road, he told Bernama at the scene.

He said the impact of the crash split the car into two, adding that all three in the vehicle died on the spot.

Zulkefly said the bodies had been sent to Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for post-mortem.

Seputeh fire and rescue station senior operations commander Mohd Nazri Hasim said 18 firemen from Seputeh and Pantai were dispatched to extricate the bodies from the wreckage.