マレーシア・ニュース

マラッカ：昨日（8/16）午前1時半ごろ、マラッカ近郊のバンダ・ヒリルの村で火事が起き、６歳から１０歳の３人兄妹を含む４人の子どもが死亡した。家の中にいたこの家族の友人のタン・ポー・ファさん（２４）はこどもたちをなんとか逃がそうと試みたが、９歳のこどもを一人を助け出すのが精一杯だった。出火当時、両親と４歳の息子は数百メートル離れた場所におり、親類などに助けを求めた。その後父親は裏手のドアからこどもを助けに入ったが、家中に煙がたちこめ、子ども達の声は聞こえるものの、見つけることができなかったという。消防によると、火事は電気のショートが原因とみている。

[ 8月17日　23：07　MCS]

ニュース・ソース

Blaze horror

Four children killed in fire

MALACCA: Three siblings aged between six and 10 and their 13-year-old aunt perished in a fire at their semi-wooden house in Kampung Bandar Hilir just behind the Melaka Raya commercial hub at 1.30am yesterday.
The charred bodies of Lim Lai Shen , six , Jo Juan, seven, Ju Seng,10, and their aunt Lio Chun Yee, a student of SMK Canossa Convent,were found by firemen at 2.30am.
Tan Poh Hwa, 24, a family friend who was in the house with the children , managed to escape in the nick of time, carrying nine-year-old Rachael Chan man Yee out of the house.
Rachael was being looked after by the family.
The children's father , Lim Kok Seng, 40, a mosaic contractor, his wife Lio Chun Yin and their four-year-old son were only a few hundred　metres away, helping out a relative at a fool stall, when the fire broke out.
Lim rushed home only to find the fire, believed to have been caused by a short circuit, had already engulfed the front part of the house.
He kicked open the back door, enabling Tan to rush out with Rachael covered in a blanket.
Tan said he woke up after the fire broke out and ,together with Chun Yee, roused the children.
He broke open a window to escape the blaze, only to find grills on the window.
Tan said Ju Seng had been in front of him as all of them went towards the back door,covering themselves with blankets.
"While we were in the burning house, it was like waiting for death," he said, adding that as soon as he ran out to safety after the back door was opened, he saw Lim , who anxiously asked about his children.
" I could not see them as the house was full of smoke." he said, adding that the frantic father went into the house through the back door but could not proceed.
Tan said he , too , wanted to reenter the house to save the children but could not.
Lim , when met , said he was told of the fire by a neighbour while he was at the stall.
"I rushed back barefooted and saw the fire engulfing the house, "he said.
He also heard Jo Juan calling out and shouting for help.
" I could not open the front door. I ran to the back and kicked the door as hard as I could. After several tries, the door opened. Then , Po Hwa rushed out carrying a girl,"said Lim, who had injuries on his hands and legs.
The children's grandmother Joanna Lee broke down when firemen carried the bodies of the children out. She later fainted and was sent to malacca Hospital.
The siblings and their aunt will be cremated on Friday.
Assistant Supt Suhaimi Ismail from the operations division of the Fire and Rescue Department said firemen found the children's bodies in the back room and that of Jo Juan in the front room.
A total of 18 firemen in two fire engines arrived at the scene at 1.56am and brought the fire under control at 2.07am, Suhaimi said.
Acting Melaka Tengah OCPD Supt Nik Nazli husin said initial investigations showed that a short circuit could be the cause as a fire which broke out last Thursday had partially damaged the wiring of the house.

＜17-8-2006 The Star＞