Malaysia probes foul play in deadly school fire as anger mounts

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian authorities said Friday, September 15, they had not ruled out foul play in a fire that killed 23 children and teachers in a religious school, as calls mounted for better safety regulations in Islamic study centers.

The fire broke out in the boarding school in downtown Kuala Lumpur before dawn Thursday, September 14. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within an hour, but not before it had gutted the school’s top-floor dormitory.

Rescuers found the bodies of 21 schoolboys and two teachers in piles, indicating there may have been a stampede as the students sought to escape the inferno.

The fire and rescue department initially said they believed the blaze – the worst in Malaysia for two decades – was caused by an electrical short circuit or a mosquito-repelling device.

But Khirudin Drahman, director of Kuala Lumpur’s fire and rescue department, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that authorities were now investigating claims gas cylinders could have played a role.

One of the survivors said two cylinders were left by the dormitory door and had caught fire, preventing those inside from leaving.

“We have not ruled out foul play,” Khirudin said, adding that fires in dormitories were typically caused by unattended cooking or mosquito coils.

“The forensic team is doing the laboratory tests. We want to wrap up the results as soon as possible.”

Horrific accounts emerged of students crying out in desperation and sticking their hands through the metal security bars surrounding the dormitory as the fire took hold, with neighbors looking on helplessly.

Some managed to escape by breaking through a grille and jumping out or sliding down drain pipes. A handful are being treated in hospital.

It was the latest tragedy involving one of the country’s religious schools, which are overseen by religious authorities rather than the education ministry, and prompted calls for better regulation.

The school involved in Thursday’s fire, Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, did not have the necessary operating licenses, including a fire safety permit.

The Star newspaper, citing data from the fire department, said there were 1,034 blazes at registered and unregistered religious schools between 2015 and August 2017, with 211 destroyed.

“(Islamic schools) must comply with the rules or else they cannot operate, especially when they house such young children,” Hatta Ramli, an opposition lawmaker from Islamic party Amanah, told AFP.

“The risk of fires or other disasters is there.” – Rappler.com