Boy trapped in washing machine for 10 minutes in prank gone wrong
RAWANG: In what appears to be a prank gone wrong, a boy was left inside a washing machine at a self-service launderette in Bukit Sentosa here on Monday night.
In the 12.30am incident, the boy’s uncle allegedly put him in the front-loading washing machine as a joke.
It is understood that the boy’s mother, who was washing her clothes at the time, was unaware of the man’s action.
However, the boy was left in the appliance for at least 10 minutes after the washing machine door became stuck.
The incident was caught in a two minute and 46 second-long video, which has gone viral.
The boy was removed by several people, who broke the door’s glass with a hammer.
The launderette’s owner, Hazmal Hassan, said he received a call on the incident from the boy’s father, who promised to pay damages.
Hazmal said based on the information that he received, the boy was accompanying his parents and uncle at the launderette.
“The uncle put the child in the washing machine and the door became stuck and could not be opened,” Hazmal told the New Straits Times Press yesterday.
He said several men from a nearby restaurant attempted to open the door but to no avail.
He said the men broke the glass door before pulling the boy out of the machine.
“The washing machine door will lock automatically when coins are inserted or when someone hits the start button.
“I don’t know how it happened, but a boy’s life was at stake,” he said, adding that he suffered RM3,000 in losses.
He said the boy was lucky as the machine failed to start, possibly because it was overloaded.
He said he had lodged a police report and urged the authorities to conduct an investigation into the “life-threatening” incident.