Parents heartbroken after boy in Malaysia was left inside school van
The parents of a five-year-old boy in Malaysia were left heartbroken after he died from being left inside a locked school van for hours.
According to a Facebook post by the boy’s uncle, the tragedy took place on Wednesday (30 April) as his nephew Zhang Yuzhe was on his way to kindergarten.
Source: 818一站式生命礼仪 on Facebook
Boy in Malaysia found lying motionless next to door of school van
The boy, who had been taking the school van for 1.5 years, was found lying motionless next to the van door, his uncle said.
He was believed to have struggled to escape from the van.
When he rushed to the hospital, his uncle asked the person in charge of the kindergarten how this happened, and was told that the driver didn’t notice that the boy was sleeping in the van.
They also allegedly said that Yuzhe liked to sit in the back row of the van despite being repeatedly told to sit in front when seats were available.
The uncle said he asked why they didn’t check the van, nor did they notify his parents when he didn’t turn up in class, but did not receive a satisfactory answer.
Boy found close to four hours later
Speaking to The New Straits Times (NST), the boy’s father Teo Jia, 37, believes his only child had been trying to escape the locked van in vain.
“He was trying to get out but couldn’t,” the distraught father said.
Source: Kyo Lim on Facebook
Mr Teo, who works in Singapore, said the van picked up Yuze at their home in Taman Bukit Indah, a suburb of Johor Bahru, at about 7.15am.
After arriving at the school at around 8.15am, the driver would drop the children off before parking the vehicle nearby and going home on his motorcycle.
Police told NST that the boy was found at about noon — close to four hours after the van reached school.
Boy sent to hospital, but doctors can’t save him
At about 1pm, Mr Teo and his wife were notified by the school that their son was in critical condition in the hospital.
“When I arrived, I saw my son lying motionless, weak, and not breathing,” he said. Doctors tried to save the young child, but were unable to.
Source: Kyo Lim on Facebook
According to a notice posted by his uncle, a memorial service was held for him on Thursday (1 May), with another service the next day.
Source: 818一站式生命礼仪 on Facebook
On Friday (2 May), he was buried at a cemetery in Pasir Gudang.
Source: Kyo Lim on Facebook
Father blames driver & school for boy’s death
Mr Teo blamed both the driver and school for his son’s death, saying he was “very disappointed”.
“The van driver should have properly checked and ensured that all the children had exited before locking the van or going home,” he charged, adding that the school should have checked attendance and contacted the family if a child was missing.
He called for the police to investigate the incident thoroughly and take action, as he does not want the same tragedy to strike another family.
Source: 818一站式生命礼仪 on Facebook
Van driver arrested
The police had earlier said that they had arrested the van driver, a 56-year-old man.
He has no criminal history and tested negative for drugs, they added. He will be detained for seven days till 7 May.
The case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of Malaysia’s Child Act 2001 for negligence resulting in harm to a child.
Also read: Girl Locked In School Bus For 2 Hours, Student Care Centre In Yishun Didn’t Notice Her Missing
Girl Locked In School Bus For 2 Hours, Student Care Centre In Yishun Didn’t Notice Her Missing
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Featured image adapted from Kyo Lim on Facebook and 818一站式生命礼仪 on Facebook.
