Young brothers seriously injured following home explosion

IPOH: Two brothers have been left seriously injured following an explosion at their home in Bandar Universiti in Seri Iskandar.

The fingers of the nine-year-old child, who has not been named, were found severed at the scene while his five-year-old brother sustained facial injuries in the blast.

Perak Tengah OCPD Superintendent Mohd Fakri Che Sulaiman said their younger sibling, aged two, managed to escape unhurt in the incident, which took place shortly before noon yesterday.

The children's mother was cooking in the kitchen while their father was away in Labuan for work at the time of the blast, he said, adding that the victims were rushed to the Manjung Hospital where they were expected to undergo surgery.

"We cannot be certain as to what caused the explosion.

“It could have been a mobile phone or laptop which exploded. But it is unlikely to be an explosive as assumed previously," he said, referring to an earlier report that the explosion was due to a home-made bomb used for fishing.

According to a Fire and Rescue Department spokesman, the Seri Iskandar fire station received reports of a house on fire at 11.55am.

"Upon arrival, firemen found that an explosion has taken place in one of the rooms at the house.

“There were severed fingers belonging to the elder boy and blood splattered all over the house," he said.