Little girl suffers from burns due to playing with firecrackers

PENDANG - A four-year-old girl suffered burns on her body believed to have been caused by the firecrackers she was playing with in Kampung Senara, Kubur Panjang on Tuesday night.

Pendang district police chief Deputy Superintendent Arriz Sham Hamezah said the incident occured at 10.30pm while the victim and her two brothers, aged seven and 10, were playing with firecrackes in front of their house.

He said the victim's parent who heard their daughter's sudden screams from outside had rushed out and found her body was burning.

"At the same time, the victim's brother who was playing with the victims tried to put out the fire on the victim's body.

The victim's father immediately ran to the toilet and fetched a bucket full of water and poured it on the victim's body before he took her to Hospital Pendang for treatment.

"The victim who suffered more than 46 per cent burns on her face and body was then taken to Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB) for further treatment," he said in a statement on Wednesday night.

The victim was placed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Ward, HSB and doctors have yet to determine the cause of the victim's injuries so far, on whether it was caused by 'pelita api' (kerosene lamp) or firecrackers.

Arriz said the victim's father had said the victim was playing firecrackers with her two brothers during the incident and he suspected that she was hit by a kerosene lamp that was placed in front of the house when trying to light the firecrackers.

He also said the victim's two brothers could not be interviewed as they were traumatised by the incident.

"The result of further investigation at the scene found pieces of clothing and a kerosene lamp. However, there were no firecrackers found on the scene," he said.

He added that the victim is in stable condition but will still require close monitoring from a doctor and the case is investigated according to Section 31(1)(a) of the Childrens Act 2001.