PETALING JAYA: A wave of grief and anger has erupted nationwide following the tragic death of Yu Zie, a five-year-old boy who was left for hours inside a locked school van in Taman Bukit Indah.
Police have since arrested the 56-year-old van driver as part of an ongoing investigation, according to district police chief Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan, New Straits Times reported.
The incident has ignited public outrage and struck a deep chord with Malaysians, with many taking to social media to express sorrow, disbelief, and describe it as an entirely preventable loss of young life.
Facebook user Pakialetchumy Ratnam commented: “Such a tragedy could have been averted if only the people concerned were more vigilant.”
“Terribly sad...child could have dozed off & driver didn’t check,” Buljeet Khera wrote.
Caroline Raj commented: “Oh my god! How could the driver and school be so careless? Sue the school!”
The father, Teo Jia, said he had lost his one and only son, Yu Zie, whom he cherished and treated with the utmost care.
He had been sending Yu to the kindergarten since the boy was two-years-old.
The 37-year-old said he received the devastating news at around 1pm via a phone call from the kindergarten, which urged him to go straight to the hospital.
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“I am truly disappointed — the driver should properly check the van to ensure all the children have alighted before locking or leaving it.
“The kindergarten was also careless. They should have checked the attendance. If a child is absent, they should call the parents to ask about the child’s whereabouts,“ he said.
