Pahang fire and rescue department public relations officer Zulfadli Zakaria said the vehicles involved were a container lorry, Proton Exora, Proton Waja and a tow truck.

He said the dead were an elderly couple and a youth travelling in the Proton Exora, and the tow truck driver but their identities were not known yet.

“The fire and rescue department received an emergency call at 3.26am regarding the accident. The container lorry is believed to have skidded and crashed into the truck which was in the process of towing the Proton Exora that had broken down earlier on the highway.

“The Proton Waja was also said to be on the roadside at the time. The impact of the crash sent the Proton Exora plunging into a 40-foot-deep ravine,” he said in a statement here.