Arrest of group of subjects causing school fire in Malaysia

Just because of the challenge and argumentã, a group of teenagers set fire to Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah School, killing at least 23 people, most of them students.

Relatives of the victims grieve over the loss. Photo: Reuters

The fire at Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah School in Kuala Lumpur is considered the deadliest fire in Malaysia in the past 20 years.

At first it was believed that this was just an accident like an electrical short circuit causing a fire, but the investigation revealed a different reality.

Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh confirmed that a group of seven teenagers aged 11 to 18 who were arrested on the evening of September 16 were the arsonists.

Some personal items of this group such as clothes and motorbikes were seized for criminal analysis.

"The case has been resolved. There will be no further arrests," Mr Amar was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

These seven teenagers will be detained for seven days from yesterday (September 16).

According to Malaysia's The Star newspaper, an argument that broke out between the group of teenagers and a group of students at the school earlier this week was the root cause of the tragedy.

"Investigators have revealed their motive for burning down the school. The initial intention was just to create a fire. But because they were young, they did not realize that their actions led to the tragedy," said Mr. Amar.

The scene of the fire after it was put out. Photo: Reuters

It is known that 6 out of 7 subjects tested positive for marijuana and may face murder charges.

Testimonies showed that the group of young men climbed into the school, used gas lighters and started burning from the top floor of the Tahfiz school dormitory in the early morning of September 14.

15 minutes later, receiving a telegram from the people, the Kuala Lumpur city fire department quickly mobilized 9 fire trucks and other specialized vehicles to put out the fire.

However, 23 people died in the fire, including 21 students aged 6-16 and 2 teachers. The scene showed that the victims tried to escape but could not because the windows were reinforced with iron bars.

Immediately after receiving news of the arrest, relatives of the victims in the fire expressed great indignation, according to The Star newspaper.

They asked the authorities to severely punish those who, just because of arguments and challenges, had committed cruel acts against their children.

According to Tuoi Tre