KOTA TINGGI - A Singapore-registered car burst into flames after colliding into another vehicle near Kota Tinggi in Johor on Friday (Dec 25) killing three of its four passengers, Malaysian media reports said. A passenger in the other vehicle also died.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Friday (Dec 25) the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru is in contact with the Malaysian authorities and are verifying the identities of the passengers.

"We are saddened by the tragic car accident," an MFA spokesman said in a statement. "The Singapore Consulate-General in JB is in close contact with the local Malaysian authorities and we are verifying the identities of all the passengers involved," the spokesman added.

"Our Consul-General visited the survivor at the hospital. We are in touch with the survivor's next-of-kin, and are rendering the necessary assistance."

According to a Johor Fire and Rescue Department spokesman, a Singapore-registered Land Rover heading towards Mersing hit a signboard at the Sungai Dohol bridge near Kota Tinggi, before losing control and entering the opposite lane. It then crashed into a Toyota Corolla that was heading to Kota Tinggi and both vehicles then burst into flames.

The spokesman said a woman in the Toyota died and the Singaporean family, consisting of a man, a woman and a child, died in the accident, The Star reported.

"A second child from the family was sent by members of the public to the hospital for treatment," he added.

He said the incident occurred around 7am and the department received a distress call about five minutes later.

According to the Bernama news agency, the body of the man, woman and child in the Land Rover as well as the woman in the Toyota Corolla were burnt in the fire.

A five-member team from the Kota Tinggi Fire and Rescue Station were rushed to the location to put out the inferno, the New Straits Times reported.