Bodies of nine tahfiz fire victims were badly burnt - forensic experts

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- Two forensic experts told the High Court today that of 11 bodies of the victims of the tragic fire incident at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah two years ago that they examined, nine were completely charred while two were partially burnt.

Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) forensic department’s consultant Dr Nurliza Abdullah said she carried out post-mortem on six victims while HKL forensic department’s specialist Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi had examined five other victims.

The rest of the victims were examined by other forensic experts.

Dr Nurliza, the 57th prosecution witness, said she was tasked with examining the remains of six victims on Sept 14, 2017, the day of the incident, beginning at noon.

She said her examination found that five bodies were badly charred while one victim was burnt.

“The five bodies were charred while one was partially burnt and all showed signs of excessive smoke inhalation in their respiratory tract systems,” she said this at murder trial of two teenage boys charged with killing and causing the death of 23 residents at the tahfiz centre two years ago.

Dr Nurliza said this during the examination-in-chief by Kuala Lumpur prosecution director Othman Abdullah before Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah.

She added that during the examination she also found no other physical wounds on the victims’ bodies apart from fire-related injuries.

To Othman’s question on the cause of death, Dr Nurliza said the six victims died of smoke inhalation. 

Meanwhile, Dr Ahmad Hafizam, the 58th prosecution witness, said of five bodies he examined, one victim was in perfect condition, while the rest were badly burnt.

“The cause of the death of four victims was due severe burns and smoke inhalation, except for one of them whose death was due to smoke inhalation,” he said.

Two 16-year-old boys were charged with killing the 23 occupants of the tahfiz school in Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Wangsa Maju, here between 4.15am and 6.45am, on Sept 14, 2017.

The two accused, now aged 18, each face 23 counts of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Law, which provides a mandatory death sentence, upon conviction.

At today’s proceedings, both accused were represented by lawyer Haijan Omar and trial before Judge Azman continues Friday.

-- BERNAMA