Five hours, one lorry: Civil Defence, villagers pull together to bury 23-year-old, 250kg man in Rantau Panjang

KOTA BHARU, Sept 19 — The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) today assisted with the burial of a 250-kilogramme man at the Gual Tinggi Islamic Cemetery in Rantau Panjang.

Rantau Panjang APM officer Lt (PA) Mohd Fuad Ismail said the team received a request from the Ministry of Health early this morning to undertake the special service.

“The MOH requested assistance to transport the 23-year-old deceased, who was from Kampung Gual Tinggi, Rantau Panjang, and had an obesity-related condition, from Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian to Masjid Al-Hidayah for the funeral prayer before he was buried.

“The operation lasted nearly five hours, from 11.01 am to 3.56 pm, involving an officer, two personnel, and a lorry. The villagers also lent a hand to facilitate the burial arrangements,” he said in a statement last night. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: The initials APM stand for Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia.