KOTA KINABALU: Close to a hundred people braved the rain as they waited outside Queen Elizabeth I Hospital here, where a post-mortem was carried out on the body of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir yesterday.
The crowd stood outside the forensic department as early as 7am with people seen coming and going as a show of solidarity with Zara Qairina and her family.
The post-mortem was conducted by forensic expert Dr Jessie Hui from Queen Elizabeth I Hospital and forensic pathology consultant Dr Khairul Anuar Zainun from Sultan Idris Shah Hospital in Serdang.
Dr Hui also briefed Zara Qairina’s mother Noraidah Lamat on the procedures they would be carrying out during the post-mortem.
The process that started around noon was completed at about 7.30pm.
Family lawyer Hamid Ismail said that Zara Qairina’s body would be sent back immediately to be re-buried at Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery in Kg Mesapol, Sipitang where she was exhumed late on Saturday.
Hamid’s law firm partner Shahlan Jufri, who was observing the post-mortem procedure alongside police officials, disclosed that two CT scans, one taken after her death and another following exhumation, would be sent to Peninsular Malaysia for comparison by specialists.
Hamid also said that he was happy as the process was transparent and the bringing in of a pathologist from Peninsular Malaysia was to ensure that there was no negative allegation.
“I believe the police want to ensure the post-mortem is conducted thoroughly,” he said.
Zara Qairina, a Form One student of a religious school in Limauan in Papar, was reported to have fallen from the third floor of her dormitory and was found unconscious near a drain at about 4am on July 16.
She died the next day at the hospital and was buried.
The post-mortem was to determine if the death was due to any criminal elements or otherwise.
Hamid urged netizens not to speculate and wait for the outcome of the investigations.
Several Justice for Zara rallies across Sabah are continuing in various districts and are expected to culminate in Kota Kinabalu on Aug 15.
