Sole survivor in car mishap still in ICU

Shocking loss: Nor Jamilah Ahmad showing the last photo of her niece Sharifah Fariesha (seated on the left) taken while the four friends were on an outing. — Bernama

GEORGE TOWN: A 21-year-old pharmacy student, who is the sole survivor in the carbon monoxide poisoning case which killed three others on Thursday, remains in critical condition at the Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin in Kuala Lumpur.

Penang police chief Comm Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said they have obtained CCTV footage from the petrol station.

“The car was not parked there for long. There were many cars there at that time and everything looked normal. The workers did not notice anything amiss, ” he said yesterday.

Nor Aqilah’s twin sister, Nor Adilah, had earlier died while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of Hospital Angkatan Tentera Lumut in Perak at 4.23pm on Thursday.

Two other victims Sharifah Fariesha Syed Fathi and Ayuni Shazwanie Shabri, also 21, died in the incident.

The four friends were suspected to have inhaled carbon monoxide after falling asleep in their car at the parking lot of a petrol station in Sama Gagah.

All four were earlier on a Malaysia Day outing to Pulau Jerejak and it was understood that they were on their way home to Sungai Petani and Gurun in Kedah when the incident happened.

Meanwhile, Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the tragedy could have been prevented if the students were aware of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“This tragic incident highlighted the importance of educating people about safety and health. Generally, more carbon monoxide is generated from incomplete combustion which happens when the fuel is not burnt completely in the engine combustion chamber, ” he said.

“This causes exhaust gas to be emitted to the atmosphere via the exhaust pipe. But there could be leakage and some gas would find its way to the passenger’s compartment.”

Lam said at the community level, the government needed to create more safety awareness programmes involving NGOs like the Alliance for Safe Community.

“Car companies can help by informing their customers of the dos and don’ts in a moving or stationary vehicle as well.

“Such warnings are especially important when children are involved.

“There had been too many cases of children being left in cars while their parents go shopping. It only takes an hour for a child in such circumstances to suffer from head injury or hyperthermia, ” he added.