Baling police chief Shamsudin Mamat said in the 2.15pm incident, the girl was playing outside the house with her seven-year-old brother and had entered the car parked in front of the house.

“According to witnesses, the girl was seen playing in the driver’s seat and was believed to have released the handbrake, causing the car to move backwards.

“The girl panicked. She got out of the car and ran towards the back to try and stop the car from moving and was trapped underneath in the process,” he said in a statement here today.

The girl’s uncle, aged 29, an ambulance driver who was preparing to leave the house to work, heard his nephew’s screams and rushed out.

He found the girl trapped under the car. He rushed her to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Sungai Petani, but she was reported to have died on the way.

The girl, a Year 3 pupil at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tawar, Kuala Ketil, lived with her family.

During the incident, her father and grandmother were not at home. She and her other siblings, aged seven to 15, were being taken care of by their uncle.

The girl’s body has been sent to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar, for a post-mortem examination. The case has been classified as sudden death and is being investigated under Section 31 (1) of the Child Act 2001.

Shamsudin said the girl suffered internal bleeding and fractured her skull.

“I would like to advise the public, especially caregivers, to always protect the safety of children to prevent such incidents,” he said.