Living with death in the house, literally


A MAN in his 90s was unaware that his son had died and went on living with the 53-year-old man’s corpse for five days in their house in Taman Selasih, Tanah Merah, Kelantan.

Police were alerted by a neighbour who noticed a foul odour coming from the house.

When the authorities arrived, they had to force their way in as the elderly man, believed to be senile, was unable to open the door.Upon checking the premises, police discovered the decomposing remains of a man in an upstairs room.

Police reported no signs of foul play and classified the case as sudden death, Mingguan Malaysia reported.

A post-mortem revealed that the man had died at least five days earlier.

> Afflicted with chronic diseases and physical disabilities, coupled with their extreme poverty, six family members in Kampung Bok Bak, Baling, Kedah, are living hand to mouth.

Norsiah Hashim, 35, suffers from liver enlargement, while her 38-year-old husband, Mohd Zaki Md Isa, has kidney failure and requires dialysis thrice weekly, according to Metro Ahad.

Norsiah’s 43-year-old brother was diagnosed with oral cancer three years ago but has been unable to afford advanced treatment.

Her 39-year-old sister is mute, and her 19-year-old son, Mohd Syukur Md Zuki, is disabled and faces multiple health problems.

The family also includes Norsiah’s 77-year-old father who has an eye ailment.

“On days when we run out of food, we have to make do with just rice, soy sauce and raw vegetables. Fortunately, a non-governmental organisation built us a house so we can live more comfortably.

“None of us have a source of income and we rely on the generosity of our neighbours and public donations,” said Norsiah, who regularly seeks treatment at Hospital Baling.

● The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.

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