Dad and disabled son burnt to death
Published on: Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Penampang: An elderly man and his mentally disabled son were killed in a factory fire in Kg Mogonibung along Jalan Kobusak, here, Monday. Police identified them as 63-year-old Yeon Chee Hwa and 35-year-old Yeon Min Kok.The elder Yeon who had been operating the sofa manufacturing factory for the past 18 years, stayed in the premises with his wife and two other sons, aged 22 and 30, who are also mentally disabled.
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It was learnt that the charred remains of the man were found in the bathroom while the body of his son was found in the bedroom.The man's 57-year-old wife said she managed to run to safety and saw her husband with their two sons coming out of the premises in the 4.03am incident. "However I saw him running back into the premises to save our eldest son but perhaps the fire was too big that he decided to run into the bathroom to escape the flames," she said.Her 28-year-old daughter, known only as Ming Yeh, who stayed elsewhere said the last she saw him was on Sunday when they went on a family outing before sending him back to the factory at about 5pm.
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She only knew about the fire at about 8am on Monday after receiving a call from her mother, adding that their bodies were only found at about 10am.A workers' quarters, a plaster ceiling processing factory, a sofa factory and three vehicles which were parked nearby were also destroyed in the fire.
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A 33-year-old Indonesian man who worked at the Solid Skill plaster ceiling processing factory said he and three others managed to escape but were not able to salvage any belongings.His colleague, known only as Chong, said he only knew about the fire at about 8am, adding that about 30 people in the area were affected by the fire. Meanwhile, concerned villagers donated clothes and food essentials to the fire victims. Acting Penampang Police Chief DSP Azmir Abd. Razak said early investigations found that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit from an electrical post within the factory compound. He said the bodies have been sent for post mortem. State Fire and Rescue Department Public Relations Officer Mohd Affendy K. Ramin said 11 personnel from the Penampang Fire and Rescue Department led by its Operations Chief Jaree Mohd arrived at the scene at about 4.07am after being alerted of the incident. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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