GEORGE TOWN: One week after being in coma following a carbon monoxide poisoning which claimed three lives, including that of her twin sister, Nor Aqilah Mohd Safwan has finally regained consciousness.
Seberang Prai Tengah police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafee Abd Samad said the sole survivor in the incident was able to nod her head to indicate that she recognised her family members.
"I have just been informed that Nor Aqilah has woken up from coma.
"And she even managed to nod her head, a sign that she recognised family members who came to visit her," he said tonight.
This afternoon, the New Straits Times reported that the 21-year-old was put into an induced coma to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at the Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital (HAT) in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur,
She was transferred there from the Seberang Jaya Hospital on the day of the incident, last Wednesday.
Shafee had said based on the information police received, Nor Aqilah was in a stable condition, and that police was monitoring her condition.
HBOT is a type of treatment used to speed up recovery from carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, stubborn wounds and infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen.
It has been used in Malaysia since 1996.
It was reported that an outing for four young women, who were awaiting their convocation, turned tragic when three of them died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in their vehicle.
The deceased were Sharifah Fariesha Syed Fathi, Ayuni Shazwanie Shabri and Nor Aqilah's twin, Nor Adilah, all 21-years-old.
Sharifah Fariesha died at the scene while Ayuni Shazwanie died en route to the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
Nor Adilah died while being treated in the ICU at the Lumut Military Hospital in Perak the following day.
The pharmacy students were found unconscious inside a Honda Odyssey at the parking lot of a petrol station in Sama Gagah, Seberang Jaya, heading towards the North-South Expressway.
The four had gone for an outing on Malaysia Day to Pulau Jerejak on Penang island.
They were on their way back to their homes in Sungai Petani, Kedah when Nor Aqilah, who was driving, complained of a headache and vomited.
She then parked the car at the petrol station to rest.
A Honda technician from the Bukit Mertajam branch, who checked the Odyssey, found possible leakage in the vehicle's exhaust.
Autopsy report received by police showed the three women died due to the inhalation of carbon monoxide, which then led to the various organs failing to function.