Malaysia highway accident kills 1; Japanese shuttler Kento Momota among 4 others injured
13 January, 2020
A vehicle collision early on Monday (Jan 13) killed a van driver and injured four passengers, including Japanese badminton player Kento Momota.
The hired van was on its way to Kuala Lumpur International Airport when it crashed into the rear of a 30-tonne truck at about 4.40am.
Emergency responders were alerted to the incident at about 5am.
The driver, Bavan Nageswarau, was pinned to his seat and died at the scene, said Selangor Fire and Rescue Department Director Norazam Khamis.
In addition to Momota, who is the reigning badminton world champion and top men's singles shuttler, three other people were injured in the incident.
They were Hirayama Yu, Morimoto Arkifuki and William Thomas, a badminton player from England.
The driver's body and those injured were taken to Putrajaya Hospital.
Momota suffered a broken nose, facial injuries and needed stitches for cuts on his lips, Serdang Police Chief ACP Ismadi Borhan told reporters.
Hirayama sustained facial injuries and injured her right leg, while Arkifumi's hand was broken, he said.
Thomas suffered leg injuries and also had to be given seven stitches on his head, he added.
The incident comes a day after Momota won the Malaysia Masters men's singles title, his first at the prestigious tournament after chasing it for many years.
He defeated former world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the final.
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