SURVIVORS TALK OF CHAOS, BRAVERY
They jump out of building to save themselves, leaving behind trapped friends
SURVIVORS of the early morning fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school spoke of tragedy, bravery, desperation and lucky twists of fate as the true story, or at least part of it, began to emerge later in the day yesterday.
Victims, some as young as 6, who died in the fire at the school in Kampung Datuk Keramat here, were trapped inside their hostel, said one of the survivors, Muhd Izzarudin Roslan, 15.
Izzarudin, who was at the dormitory when the fire broke out at 5am, said the flames were licking the front door when the students woke up.
“I was sleeping. Suddenly, I heard noises, like gas leak- ing from a tank.
“When I woke up, the fire had engulfed the front door. We tried to wake up our friends.
“However, some did not wake up at all. It was chaotic as we could not get out due to the fire engulfing the front door of the hostel. The fire had even spread to our beds,” he said.
Izzarudin said he and other students had tried to put out the blaze with water, but the effort proved futile as the fire was too strong.
He said he broke a window before grabbing a pipe attached to the outside of the building, using it to escape.
“There were only eight of us who escaped through the window.
“Several of my friends fell to the ground in the attempt, including those whose hair and clothes were on fire.”
He said their two wardens, who slept in the same room, had also woken up.
They tried rescuing other students, but died.
Two of the victims’ father, Nasron Mat Yusof, 46, mourned the loss of a son, but was thankful that another got out.
“I’ve lost a son. But Allah has saved another,” he said.
His 13-year-old son, Mohd Nizamuddin, was one of those who died in the blaze, but Zunnun Misiri, 15, jumped out of the window in time.
Nasron said he received the news at 6.30am from Zunnun.
“Zunnun jumped out of the building before receiving help from passers-by.
“He is being treated at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.”
Nasron said he last met Nizamuddin, his youngest son, during the Hari Raya Aidiladha celebrations.
“I accept his death. He was a smart child. He achieved all As in last year’s Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah.”
Another student, aged 11, was saved by luck as he had been taken home the evening before to receive treatment for a skin problem.
The boy’s father, Azman Endan, 40, insisted on taking him home.
“At 6.30pm yesterday, I went and picked him up because I wanted to bring him home so that he could seek treatment for his skin problem later.
“We were shocked to learn about the tragedy and that many students were killed,” Azman said outside the hospital mortuary.
He was there to provide support to other parents of the victims.
He said his son broke down when he heard the news, and had since avoided talking to anyone.
“He is devastated to have lost his friends and is traumatised. He is inside the car and does not want to get out.”