Tahfiz school fire: 11 victims laid to rest in Taman Batu Muda

Eleven of the 23 students and teachers who perished in the fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah school at Jalan Keramat Ujung early yesterday, have been laid to rest at the Raudhatul Sakinah Cemetery in Taman Batu Muda here today.

Earlier, it was reported that 12 remains would be laid to rest at the cemetery, but one of the remains has since been transported to Puchong instead.

The mood at the cemetery was undoubtedly sombre, as families and friends of the victims bid their final goodbye to their loved ones.

The funeral prayers for all the victims were held at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Mosque after the conclusion of the disaster victim identification (DVI) process.

Prior to that, the process of mandi jenazah (bathing of the remains) had to be done through tayammum (dry cleansing using purified sand or dust) instead of using water as most of the remains were badly charred.

According to 'Imam Muda' Muhammad Asyraf Mohd Ridzuan, in whatever situation, any religion would call for the respect of those deceased.

"And Islam is no exception. In situations such as this, where the remains are badly charred and cannot be bathed with water, tayammum is the best method to use as it protects the nobility of the remains.

"Islam is a religion that never burdens its worshippers. Tayammum is only one of the many elements that are testament to this," he told Astro AWANI when contacted.

Meanwhile, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (JAWI) has set up six special teams to arrange the funeral for the victims.

Besides those laid to rest in Taman Batu Muda, other fire victims would also be laid to rest at the Jalan Ampang Muslim cemetery, the Taman Kosas Muslim cemetery, in Dato' Keramat, Jalan Klang Lama, Taman Medan and Bukit Kuari Cheras, Bernama reported.

The remains of victims from out-of-state would be buried at the cemetery in Paroi Jaya, Seremban in Negeri Sembilan, Pengkalan Kubur in Kelantan and Sungkai in Perak.

The 5.15am fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school resulted in the deaths of 21 students and two teacher-wardens after they were trapped in the building that had grilles on the door and windows.

Seven other people sustained injuries, some critically.