USTAZ GRIEVES FOR CHILDREN
He had conducted programmes for the students over the past few years
ALONE figure stood forlorn at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) mortuary, as the first police vehicle transporting the bodies of the victims of the fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school arrived.
One more police vehicle was said to have been on the way at the time, but as each sheet-covered body in this vehicle was brought down, the man began to weep.
He continued to sob as he stood over the bodies, all the while praying for the victims.
The man was Hoslan Hussin, an ustaz who had conducted programmes for the school students several times over the past few years, including during Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year.
After finishing his prayers as the last body was taken into the mortuary, Hoslan was approached by members of the media.
His eyes red and swollen, he would not say much except to explain his association with the school and the students.
He said he took courage, however, from the fact that the students were regarded as martyrs in Islam, as they were on the path of religious education.
At the scene in Jalan Keramat Hujung, a man who lived not far from the school said many local residents tried to help the children, but were beaten back by the flames that were already raging by the time they got there.
Halim Sudin, 52, said the residents tried their best to rescue the children, as they could not wait for the firemen to arrive.
“The fire became too big by the time we reached the stairway. It was the only way to reach the students. We couldn’t do anything but to try and catch those jumping out of the second-floor windows. Some of them were on fire when they landed on the ground,” he recalled.
Halim said the pupils had no choice but to jump because of the raging fire and intense heat.
He said the fire was the deadliest in the neighbourhood so far, with the last big fire occurring more than 25 years ago.
Halim Sudin, 52, said the previous fire burned down a nearby squatter settlement, but no lives were lost.
“This is the worst fire we have seen so far... so many lives lost,” he told the New Straits Times, a look of sadness coming over his face.
Halim said the land on which the school was built had been bought by a local resident, who donated it to the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi).
“The resident wanted Jawi to build a tahfiz (religious) school here. Talks about building the school began eight years ago, but the plan was put on hold until much later due to insufficient funds,” he said.
Halim said the school posed no problems to the neighbourhood since it began operations three years ago.
“This is quite shocking. We have never heard of such incidents before.”
Halim, who has lived there since he was born, said he enjoyed the presence of the children playing outside after school.
“It is very sad to know that their lives have been taken away by the fire today.”