LANGKAWI: Two children, both Myanmar nationals, died after eating food they scrounged from a rubbish bin in Kampung Baru Sungai Tepa, Bukit Malut, here today.
The brothers, Nizambudin Jamaludin, 4, and Ngei, 2, reportedly died at a neighbour's home near where the rubbish bin was located.
Langkawi district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Shariman Ashari said the police were notified of the incident at 6.15pm and immediately rushed to the location.
"The boys' father found his sons near the rubbish bin in a disoriented manner. He then took them to his neighbour's house.
"The boys stopped breathing several minutes later. One of the villagers then contacted the police," he said in a statement tonight.
Shariman said both boys were believed to have eaten food they had fished out from the rubbish bin.
"Medical personnel confirmed their deaths. The bodies were then brought to the Sultanah Maliha Hospital's forensic department for a post-mortem examination and Covid-19 test.
"For now, the case has been classified as sudden death. Further investigations are ongoing," he said.
It is understood that both boys, who lived with their father, did not have a home and lived with their neighbour in the village.
Their father fixed boats and took on odd-jobs in the village to earn money.