SINGAPORE - Family and friends of the man who died in a car accident outside the Istana on Saturday (Dec 16) said they did not know of him having been involved in any previous car accidents.

Mr Khairul Anwar Mohd Sani, 25, was the driver of the car which was involved in the accident along Cavenagh Road. He and Ms Nurul Filzah, 21 - one of two passengers in the car - died after being taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Saturday.

The other passenger, who is Ms Nurul's boyfriend, Mr Johari Shariff, 28, underwent surgery on Sunday afternoon after sustaining injuries to his face, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

The Straits Times understands that he is still hospitalised but is in a stable condition.

At Mr Khairul's wake at Whampoa on Sunday at 10.30am, around 20 people had gathered in the void deck, with more arriving later as the casket was taken to the void deck around 1.30pm. Many of them looked downcast and were unwilling to talk, while some cried when they saw the casket.

"We are very sad and shocked, but we cannot do anything," said Mr Khairul's uncle, who declined to be named. The uncle, who received the news about his nephew's death while he was at his friend's father's funeral on Saturday, described the family as "very close".

He said that Mr Khairul's older brother, who is his only sibling, flew back to Singapore from where he was working overseas when he heard the news, and had gone to the mortuary to collect the body.

A friend at Mr Khairul's wake, firefighter Mohammad Afiq, 28, said it was the first time he had gotten into a car accident in the three years he had known him.

"I was shocked (when I heard the news) because I saw it on Facebook and thought it was a prank," he added.

According to another friend, service engineer Shah Nordin, 29, Mr Khairul worked as a logistics driver and a part-time Grab and Uber driver.

"He was a safe driver," he said.

The report by Lianhe Wanbao quoted Mr Johari saying the three of them were on their way to breakfast - with him and Ms Nurul sitting in the back - when the car suddenly lost control at the back gate of the Istana. He added that Mr Khairul had not been speeding or drink driving.

Ms Nurul, an arts student, had started working as a receptionist only a few days before the accident, according to a report by Shin Min Daily News. The article also said she was an only child.

The police are appealing to anyone with information, images and/or videos related to the accident to submit them via the 'E-feedback on road users' portal at http://www.police.gov.sg/e-services or www.police.gov.sg/iwitness to assist them in their investigations.