We stopped to eat, not take a nap, says sole survivor of 2020 carbon monoxide poisoning incident

Nor Aqilah's twin sister Nor Adilah and two friends died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

PETALING JAYA: The three university students who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in September 2020 in a sensational case in Butterworth, Penang, did not stop to take a nap in the car with the engine running, says the sole survivor of the incident.

According to Malay daily Sinar Harian, 22-year-old Nor Aqilah Mohd Safwan said in a TikTok post that the four of them merely stopped to have a meal at a petrol station.

“First of all, we did not sleep, we just stopped for a while to buy food. After entering the car, we couldn’t remember anything.

“We just want to stop for food. We weren’t tired,” she was quoted as saying.

Recounting the September 2020 incident, Nor Aqilah said her twin sister Nor Adilah, who was the driver, decided to stay in the car while three others stepped out to buy refreshments at the petrol station.

Nor Aqilah said after they bought their food, they gathered at the car and wanted to eat.

She said during the unfortunate incident, she dreamt about her twin sister.

“The moment I opened my eyes, I realised that I was in the hospital,” she said, adding that she then started looking for her sister.

Aqilah said she only found out that her twin sister and two friends had died after her father told her what happened.

The four students were found unconscious in an MPV parked at a petrol station in Sama Gagah, next to the North-South Expressway, early Sept 17, 2020.

Central Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Shafee Abd Samad said the four college mates were heading home to Kedah after an outing at Pulau Jerejak in Penang.

ACP Shafee said a check revealed a leak in the car’s exhaust system and engine emissions managed to enter the cabin as the vehicle was stationary.

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