SIBU: A 52-year-old maintenance worker died while at work possibly due to heatstroke in Jalan Paradom on Sunday (May 7).
Sibu OCPD Asst Comm Zulkipli Suhaili said police received a report from the Civil Defence Force at 3.15pm about a worker of a utilities company who had fainted in a forest in Jalan Paradom.
"Prior to incident, the victim was with several colleagues doing maintenance work on an electrical substation. One of his colleagues said the weather then was extremely hot. So the victim went to cool himself down in a stream nearby," he added.
However, he passed out soon after.
Paramedics from the hospital pronounced him dead at the scene at 4.59pm.
The victim has been identified as Mohammad Sabeli.
According to the victim's colleague, Hishammudin Abdul Rani, both of them had at climbed up a 30m tower to remove bird droppings at about 12.15pm.
"It was extremely hot and we descended from the tower to rest for about 15 minutes. He told me he was feeling very hot and wanted to wet his body in a stream nearby. I advised him not to but he insisted," he said.
When the victim was done, he told Hishammudin that he felt dizzy and wanted to black out.
"He asked me to massage his body and to dispel hot flushes in his body. However several minutes later, he passed out," recalled Rani.
ACP Zulkipli said the case has been classified as sudden death.
