Kindergarten lodged report after boy fell into swimming pool, say Ipoh cops

Ipoh OCPD ACP Yahaya Hassan.

IPOH: The kindergarten implicated in the incident where a four-year-old boy died five days after falling into a swimming pool has lodged a report, say Ipoh police.

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Yahaya Hassan said that the report was lodged by the kindergarten's principal on April 18.

ALSO READ: Kindergarten was negligent, claims mum of boy who died after falling into pool

ACP Yahaya said the principal and two other teachers started to look for the boy at about 10.20am on April 17, when he could not be located after his mother sent him there.

"Upon searching, they found him in the adult swimming pool and he was quickly taken out, given CPR and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

"Our initial investigations also found the boy to be autistic.

"According to the kindergarten management, the mother did not provide any letter stating that the boy was autistic.

"The principal had agreed to enrol the boy for a trial class for two hours," he said in a statement on Sunday (April 23).

ACP Yahaya said when the boy was in the kindergarten, he was very active and liked to climb.

"Surgery was performed on the boy on April 18 at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital and we were informed of the boy's death around noon on Sunday.

"The cause of death is stated as severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) secondary to drowning with multi-organ failure.

"Investigations will continue and the case will be referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor's office for further instruction," he added.

The US-based Massachusetts General Hospital website defines HIE as "a type of brain dysfunction (brain injury) that occurs when the brain experiences a decrease in oxygen or blood flow."