Former imam dies while performing funeral prayer

A former Imam of Masjid Jamek Permatang Binjai, here, collapsed while performing a funeral prayer and was pronounced dead.

The current imam, Mat Desa Sulaiman, 80, said Ahmad Bidin, 82, was praying in the front line beside him when he collapsed for the first time and was helped by a few people in the congregation, who carried him to a corner in the mosque.

"He returned to join the congregation after regaining consciousness about a minute later, but collapsed and lost consciousness again," he said, adding that the incident occurred about 10.20am.

He said an ambulance was called when Ahmad did not regain consciousness and the medical personnel who arrived pronounced him dead.

Ahmad, who was the imam at the mosque for 15 years until 2013, was a former general worker at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Butterworth.