KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Five members of a family on their way home after attending a friend's funeral were killed and another one was seriously injured when a lorry crashed into their car on the Kampung Hutan Gelam road in north state of Kedah Sunday.

    Acting Kedah Traffic chief Syed Salim Jaafar identified the dead as Shamsuddin Kamaruddin, 49, his wife, Normah Othman, 43, and their three daughters, Norshamila, 14, Norshahirah, 11, and Norshamimi, 8.

    All of them died at the scene, he told reporters at the Alor Star Hospital mortuary in the capital of the state.

    Shamsuddin's son, Mohamed Hafizuddin, 15, who sustained seriousinjuries, has been admitted to the Alor Star Hospital, he said.

    Syed Salim said Shamsuddin, a ranger from the Sik Forestry Department, and his family were on their way home when the accident happened at about 3 PM. They were returning after attending the funeral of Shamsuddin's friend in Changloon near Alor Star.

    He said the Mercedes-Benz driven by Shamsuddin went out of control after avoiding a cow, which had strayed onto the road, andskidded onto the opposite lane before being hit by the sand-laden lorry.

    "The car was crushed after being hit on the driver's left side,causing the passengers to be trapped inside," he said.

    Fire-fighters took about two hours to extricate the victims pinned in the wrecked car.

    Syed Salim said the 48-year-old lorry driver reported the accident at the local police station.

    The road accidents claimed over 6,223 people throughout the country in 2004, inflicting loss of some 9 billion ringgit (2.36 billion US dollars).

    A five-year plan will get under way soon to reduce the death rate in road accidents from current 4.5 deaths per 10,000 cars to 2 deaths per 10,000 cars by 2010, according to earlier reports. Enditem