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A three-year-old boy died after he was left for over five hours in a car driven by a kindergarten principal in Taman Ria, Sungai Petani, Kedah
The tragedy happened on Tuesday, 16 March.
His death was confirmed while he was being transported from the kindergarten to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) in Sungai Petani yesterday, according to a report in Harian Metro today, 17 March.
The victim had been going to the kindergarten for almost a year
At the kindergarten, the victim was under the care of a nanny since he started going there.
According to Kuala Muda district police chief ACP Adzli Abu Shah, the kindergarten principal is a 49-year-old woman, who had been picking and sending home the victim on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
He said that preliminary investigations found that the kindergarten principal picked up the victim, who was three years and 11 months old, from his home at 7.45am yesterday.
At the time, the victim was in good health and was placed in the back seat on the left side of the vehicle. There was another five-year-old child, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
“However, upon arriving in front of the kindergarten, a teacher then took the child who was in the front passenger seat and went straight into the kindergarten, while the principal continued to park her car outside the kindergarten, before turning off the vehicle engine,” he said in a statement today.
Image via Utusan Malaysia
The victim was believed to be in the car from 8am to 12.15pm
The victim was in the car with its doors and mirrors closed. There was no ventilation.
“The incident was only noticed at 12.15pm when the principal wanted to send the victim back home, but could not find him in the classroom. The class teacher told the principal that the victim was not present at school, which made her run towards her car where she found the victim lying down and unconscious,” he said.
The principal called an ambulance and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the victim, who remained unconscious
“The victim was then taken to the hospital by ambulance,” Adzli said.
Doctors who confirmed his death said that there were no traces of external injuries.
“The victim was sent to the Forensic Department of Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar for an autopsy,” Adzli said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 31 (1) (a) of the Children Act 2001.
Police have since arrested the principal
She was arrested to assist in the investigation. Her car was confiscated for further action.
