Another woman has died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning -- taking the death toll to three -- after four friends, all aged 21, fell asleep in their car at a parking lot of a petrol station in Sama Gagah here yesterday.

Seberang Perai Tengah District Police chief ACP Shafee Abd Samad said Nor Adilah Mohd Safwan, 21, died while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of Hospital Angkatan Tentera Lumut in Perak here at 4.23 pm today.

Two other women, Sharifah Fariesha Syed Fathi and Ayuni Shazwanie Shabri, died in the incident yesterday while Nor Adilah and her twin Nor Aqilah were taken to hospital in critical condition.

"Nor Adilah was earlier taken to the Seberang Jaya Hospital after being found in the car before being transferred to Hospital Angkatan Tentera Lumut. Her twin sister, Nor Aqilah, meanwhile, was transferred to Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin in Kuala Lumpur for further treatment.

"The twins were transferred to the two hospitals because these hospitals have machines to treat carbon monoxide poisoning victims. However, we were informed that Nor Adilah died this evening," Shafee said today.

He said that Nor Aqilah, who is undergoing treatment in the ICU of Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, is being closely monitored by the medical team.

Initial investigations showed that the four women had gone to Pulau Jerejak, near here, for the Malaysia Day holiday yesterday, and it was understood that they were on their way home to Sungai Petani and Gurun in Kedah when they decided to take a break but are believed to have instead fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, Shafee said checks carried out by a Honda technician on the Honda Odyssey car used by the four women found that there could have been a leakage in the vehicle's exhaust.

"This is because during the inspection by the technician, the exhaust produced very loud noise and emitted smoke. Due to the leak, smoke entered the car and the four suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning," he said.

-- BERNAMA