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2017 Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah madrasa fire

The 2017 Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah madrasa fire occurred around 5:10 a.m. on September 14, 2017, when a fire broke out at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah madrasa in Kampung Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, resulting in the deaths of 23 madrasa residents, comprising 21 students and two teachers, while five others were reportedly injured.[6][7]

2017 Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah madrasa fire
Date14 September 2017
Time5:10 AM (MST)
LocationKampung Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Coordinates3°10′08″N 101°43′58″E / 3.1688°N 101.7328°E / 3.1688; 101.7328
TypeFire accidents classified as murder[1]
CauseArson that was set by outsider drug addicts after they were taunted by students in the madrasa for entering the areas to abuse drugs[2][3]
MotiveRevenge[4][5]
Deaths23
Non-fatal injuries5
Suspects7
ConvictedMuhammad Adli Shah Bin Mohd Yusry and Muhammad Arif Firdaus Bin Juraini
Charges23 counts of murder under section 300(d) of the Penal Code
VerdictGuilty (Muhammad Adli Shah Bin Mohd Yusry), not guilty (Muhammad Arif Firdaus Bin Juraini)
ConvictionsMurder under section 300(d) of the Penal Code (23 counts)
SentenceDetention at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong

Investigations revealed that a quarrel had erupted between the madrasa boarders and a group of seven teenage boys who entered the area to abuse drugs they had purchased. This altercation prompted the teens to set fire to the building. All seven troubled teens had been expelled from school following numerous serious disciplinary offenses. Additional factors included a firework assault against the madrasa boarders by the same teens and a dispute over the use of the futsal court between the two parties.[8]

Background

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The fire started on the second and upper floors of the madrasa building and quickly spread throughout most of the structure, blocking the only entrance and trapping the occupants inside. Many windows were fitted with bolted grills, making it difficult for the occupants to escape.[6] Neighbouring witnesses reported that they were awakened at dawn by the cries of the students trapped inside the building. Although they tried to save them, they were unable to do so because the fire spread rapidly, with many students still trapped behind the metal window grills.[7] Those who survived managed to escape by jumping directly to the ground, while others fled through the building's water pipelines. The fire was finally contained by the fire department at around 6:40 a.m.[9]

Victims

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Twenty-three madrasa residents were killed in the incident, including twenty-one students and two teachers. Their names and ages are as follows:[10][11]

  1. Muhammad Danieal Md Amin, 14
  2. Ahmad Rijal Mohammad Rodzi, 13
  3. Muhammad Hasrullah Ismaik, 14
  4. Muhammad Haikal Abdullah, 12
  5. Muhammad Aidil Aqmal Mohd Zamzuri, 10
  6. Muhammaf Fahmie Abdullah, 11
  7. Muhammad Afiq Haqimie Hairulizwan, 11
  8. Muhammad Aiman Ramzanudin, 12
  9. Azkar Dariemi F. Zaska, 8
  10. Nik Muhammad Ridzuan Bin Nik Azlan
  11. Azkar Abiedi F. Zaska, 11
  12. Umar Al Khatab Helmi, 6
  13. Amiel Asyraaf Abd Rasid, 11
  14. Muhammad Nizammudin Nasrun, 13
  15. Muhammad Hafiz Iskandar Sulaiman, 11
  16. Muhammad Harris Ikhwan Mohd Sulaiman, 10
  17. Muhammad Taufik Hidayat Norazizan, 16
  18. Ahmad Harith Adam Mohd Nor Hadi, 12
  19. Muhammad Hazim Ahmad Nor, 13
  20. Muhammad Syafik Haikal Abdullah, 13
  21. Muhammad Zattulah Roslan, 11
  22. Mohd Yusuf Md, 26 (teacher)
  23. Mohd Amrul Nizam Sakarno, 25 (teacher)

Investigations and arrests

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Investigations were conducted by police and firefighters to determine the cause of the fire. Initially, the firefighters thought it might be due to a short circuit,[12] but after a full investigation and through CCTV footage outside the building, several suspects were identified as having infiltrated the area around 3:10 am. Other CCTV footage retrieved from the five nearest petrol stations showed the intruding suspects earlier buying petrol at one of the stations at 1:30 am on a Yamaha Lagenda motorcycle.[13][14] Around seven suspects were identified by police to be involved, and most of them were apprehended on September 16, 2017, and detained at the Jinjang Police Station lock-up. Survivors were detained at the Ministry of Defence tent set up outside the madrasa before being placed in secret premises around Keramat on September 15. The number of survivors was also kept confidential, and only the closest relatives were allowed to enter the premises to protect them from being approached by the public. Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh concluded in a special press conference that the suspects were believed to have committed the crime out of revenge due to incidents of taunting among the madrasa students and the suspects. According to him, six out of seven suspects tested positive for drugs, and two of them had previous criminal records related to rioting and stealing vehicles. All suspects were aged between 11 and 18 years old.[2][3] On August 17, 2020, Muhammad Adli Shah Bin Mohd Yusry was found guilty of 23 counts of murder and was sentenced to detention at the pleasure of the Yang-Dipertuan Agong.[15]

Reactions

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The tragedy gained considerable attention from the government, the public, and media abroad. Al Jazeera described the incident as "the most devastating fire in Malaysia since the beginning of the year".[16]

Government

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The tragedy was widely addressed by leaders from both political parties. Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, and Prime Minister Najib Razak visited the scene.[17] Najib sent condolences to all the victims and urged all madrasas to comply with safety standards and regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future.[18][19] Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was the first to arrive at the scene in the afternoon following the incident. He highlighted the lack of control and training in madrasas, which led to various issues such as fires, abuse, the establishment of illegal madrasas, and the appointment of unqualified teachers. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad expressed his disappointment, noting that no lessons seemed to have been learned from a similar incident in 1989.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Muzliza Mustafa (16 September 2017). "Tahfiz school blaze also a murder case, says KL police chief". The Malaysian Insight. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b Abdul Hakim Rahman; Hafiz Marzukhi (16 September 2017). "Akibat ejek-mengejek, pusat tahfiz dibakar" (in Malay). Astro Awani. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Malaysia school fire: Seven youths arrested over blaze were 'mocked by students', police say". ABC. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  4. ^ Kalidevi Mogan Kumarappa (16 September 2017). "Dendam sampai bakar tahfiz" (in Malay). Harian Metro. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  5. ^ Nadirah H. Rodzi (16 September 2017). "Malaysia religious school fire motivated by revenge, seven teenagers arrested". The Straits Times. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b Rozanna Latiff; A. Ananthalakshmi (14 September 2017). "Boys 'cried from barred windows' as Islamic school blaze kills 23 in Malaysia". Reuters. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b Salhan K. Ahmad; King Chai Woon; Sandi Sidhu (14 September 2017). "21 children, 2 adults killed in fire at Malaysian school". CNN. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  8. ^ Roslan, Faisza (18 September 2017). "Gara-Gara Berebut Gelanggang Futsal, Mangsa Kebakaran Tak Sempat Merasa Pindah Tempat Baru". SAYS (in Malay). Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Pusat tahfiz terbakar: 23 maut, empat serius". Bernama (in Malay). Astro Awani. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Senarai mangsa terkorban dalam kebakaran pusat tahfiz" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Senarai mangsa terkorban". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Litar pintas dipercayai punca kebakaran [METROTV]". Bernama (in Malay). Harian Metro. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  13. ^ Kalidevi Mogan Kumarappa (16 September 2017). "Cari pembeli petrol" (in Malay). Harian Metro. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  14. ^ Safeek Affendy Razali; Nor Azizah Mokhtar; Siti Azila Alias; Fazrik Kamarudin (16 September 2017). "Kebakaran pusat tahfiz, 7 ditahan" (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Pendakwa Raya lwn Muhammad Adli Shah Bin Mohd Yusry" (in Malay). Scribd. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Kebakaran pusat tahfiz disifatkan paling dahsyat - Media antarabangsa". Bernama (in Malay). Astro Awani. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Agong Berangkat Melawat Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyyah" (in Malay). Bernama. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  18. ^ "PM rakam rasa sedih, takziah kepada keluarga mangsa kebakaran tahfiz". Bernama (in Malay). Astro Awani. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Kebakaran pusat tahfiz: Ambil iktibar agar tidak berulang - PM Najib" (in Malay). Astro Awani. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  20. ^ "After Malaysia fire, outrage over unregulated religious schools". Bangkok Post. Reuters. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
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