[tooratrack]

Jun 5, 2010
Woman burned alive

By Hazlin Hassan, Malaysia Correspondent



Ms Florina, 27, a student from Sawarak, died when her car caught fire following an accident on a flyover in the suburb of Cheras. -- PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR - AN OUTCRY has broken out in Malaysia after petrol kiosk attendants refused a man's frantic pleas to use a fire extinguisher to try to save a woman who was burning alive in her car. The victim's Perodua Myvi caught fire early on Thursday in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Cheras. The car had been badly mangled in an accident that also involved a lorry and a Toyota Vios. Police identified the dead woman as Ms Florina, 27, a Sarawakian native and a student.

Bystander Teo Chai Yong, 31, heard her screams for help and drove to a BHPetrol fuel station about 500m away. His request to use a fire extinguisher kept behind a glass counter in the station was refused by two BHP workers on duty there. 'I saw four fire extinguishers behind the glass door,' Mr Teo was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper yesterday. 'An attendant was on the other side.' The attendants could not see the accident and apparently did not understand the urgency of his request.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of the Straits Times.

[Nundduedola]

Sat, Jun 05, 2010
The Star/Asia News Network

Outrage over driver's fiery death PETALING JAYA: Netizens have expressed outrage over the fiery death of a woman in her car after petrol kiosk attendants refused to lend fire extinguishers to save her. Venting his anger on his Facebook page, Edward Ling hit out at BH Petrol (BHP) and called for the firm to be punished by referring to it as "Boycott InHumane Petrol".

The page also posted a note from Teo Chai Yong, whose desperate attempt to save the 27-year-old woman from her burning car proved in vain after the attendants refused to lend him the fire extinguishers. Teo, 31, had driven to the 24-hour petrol station that was near the scene of an accident to look for a fire extinguisher after he heard screams from the trapped woman and saw sparks under the car.

Teo had pleaded with the attendants and even offered to buy the extinguishers but was rejected. He rushed back to the accident scene, only to see the car engulfed in flames with the woman still inside. The tragic incident happened at 3.30am on Thursday after an accident involving the woman's Perodua Myvi, a Toyota Vios and a lorry on a flyover along Jalan Cheras near Jalan Loke Yew.

BHP managing director Tan Kim Thiam had expressed regret over the incident, saying the attendants had refused to open their doors because robberies were common at that hour. BHP is scheduled to call a press conference soon. Several readers questioned why the fire extinguishers were kept inside the petrol station instead of beside the petrol pumps.

Netizen Tan Loon Wern demanded that BHP make a formal apology to the victim's family while Justin Tan said it should also compensate the woman's family. Another Netizen, Chong Kit Ling, expressed sadness that a human life was not valued, while Kelvin Wong Jing Zhi said petrol stations should place fire extinguishers at accessible spots. Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said he could understand the anger showed by the public and Netizens.

"A life could have been saved if the attendants had lent Teo a fire extinguisher. This is a very unfortunate incident," he said. MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said the attendants could have used their judgment to decide if Teo's pleas were genuine. "They should have just lent him the extinguisher. Instead, they did nothing. This is very sad," he said.
Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai even called on the Government to suspend the licence of the petrol station pending investigations.

Dead woman believed to be college student

The woman who was burnt alive in her car following an accident has been identified as Florina Joseph. City traffic police investigations chief Deputy Supt Abdullah Roning said the police, however, were conducting a DNA test to confirm this. "We believe she was a 27-year-old college student from Sarawak," he said. The woman was burnt beyond recognition and her personal identification documents were also destroyed in the fire on Thursday.

One of the petrol kiosk attendants said its counter hours were only until midnight. Another kiosk said it could not confirm if the incident had taken place in its station as the night shift staff had not reported anything. The supervisor known only as Syah said that according to company procedure, the fire extinguishers were only for station use.

-The Star/Asia News Network