GURUN, 29 December- An assistant lorry driver died when the lorry he was riding in skidded and hit a sign at kilometer 77.6 of the North-South Expressway southbound near Gurun yesterday.

Kuala Muda District Police Chief ACP Wan Azharuddin Wan Ismail in a statement said the accident also injured two others, including the lorry driver.

He said the deceased, identified as Mohamad Zulfiqry Zunaidi Abdullah, 20, from Senggarang, Johor, was confirmed dead at the scene.

Initial investigations into the incident, which took place at around 5.30pm, revealed that the lorry was driven by a 33-year-old man who lost control before skidding and crashing into a signpost on the left side of the road.

"As a result of the accident, the victim was trapped in the left passenger seat," he said in the statement.

The victim's body was taken to the Sultan Abdul Halim Forensic Hospital, Sungai Petani, for a post-mortem.

Meanwhile, the two injured victims were taken to Pendang Hospital for treatment.

The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.