The vehicle then landed in a river.

Berita Harian reported Tawau police chief Jasmin Hussin as saying the victim and driver were on their way to the Tawau market with 1.5 tonnes of fish when the accident happened at 5.20am.

He said the driver lost control of the vehicle, careening to the left of the road and hitting the barrier.

Azrul Shah Abraham, 31, who was sitting in the front passenger’s seat of the pickup, was badly injured.

He was trapped in the vehicle and fire and rescue personnel had to be summoned to extract him from the wreckage.

However, he died while receiving treatment at Tawau Hospital.

The driver escaped with light injuries.

Jasmin said the 31-year-old driver had been remanded for investigation under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for driving recklessly and causing death.