PENDANG: A four-year-old girl suffered 46 per cent burns on her body while playing with firecrackers in front of her house in Kampung Senara, Kubur Panjang here on Tuesday.

Pendang district police chief DSP Arriz Sham Hamezah said the incident happened at 10.30 pm when the victim, Nur Zatil Hidayah Mohd Tarmizi, was playing with her two brothers, aged seven and 10, respectively.

"Police received a call yesterday from a doctor in the Pendang Hospital's emergency department informing them of the incident and that the child, suffered burns to 46 per cent of her body, believed to be as a result of being hit by firecrackers," he said in a statement today.

Arriz Sham said the victim's parents heard the girl screaming suddenly and found the child had been engulfed by flames, believed to have been caused by fire from a kerosene lamp hung in front of the house to ignite the firecrackers.

"The victim's father ran to fetch a bucket of water and poured it over the victim's body before she was rushed to the Pendang Hospital for treatment," he said.

"Both of the victim's brothers could not be interviewed because they are still traumatised by the incident. The victim is currently in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Ward at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (Alor Setar)," he said.

Arriz Sham added that doctors have not been able to determine if the victim's injuries (burns) were due to fire from the kerosene lamp or firecrackers but the case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.

-- BERNAMA