KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Three devotees died after a car ploughed into a group of people who were walking to the Batu Caves near Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur to celebrate Thaipusam on Saturday (Jan 23).

The group of devotees, who were clad in yellow, had walked from Senawang, Negeri Sembilan, when the accident occurred at about 8.30am near Seri Petaling on the outskirts of central Kuala Lumpur.

Several others in the group who were injured are being treated at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital.

The authorities have located the car, a BMW with registration plate PMH 718. The police say it rammed into the group when approaching the exit to Seri Petaling on the North-South Expressway at 8am.

The devotees were walking on the emergency lane. The driver of the car was reported to have sped off after the accident.

Police identified the three dead devotees as Saravanan Krishnan, 45; Kannan Chinnakanoo, 51; and Papa Sinnah, 53.

Two of the injured were identified as Mageswaran Palanisamy, 40, and Darrshen Devara, 18. Another injured woman has not been identified.

The devotees were walking from Senawang, Negri Sembilan to Batu Caves to celebrate Thaipusam.