GEORGETOWN: The victim of a cooking gas barrel explosion today succumbed to her injuries, two days after receiving treatment at the Penang Hospital (HPP).
Sarimah Abdul Rahman, 55, breathed her last at 4.19pm.
She was caught in the explosion which took place on the sixth floor of Taman Sri Bayu Flats, Jalan Kampung Bukit, Bayan Lepas, here, last Thursday.
The victim's son, Hafizan Sulaiman, 35, said when he arrived at HPP after the incident, it was understood that his mother could still speak before she was whisked away by medical personnel for treatment.
"Around 10 pm, mother's condition worsened and she had to be put to sleep until yesterday morning.
"After that, the situation was uncertain until I was told by the doctor that my mother had passed away.
"Her body is expected to be buried at the Seberang Jaya Islamic Cemetery tonight," he said when contacted here today.
The incident that happened around 9am, on Feb 23, caused the victim to sustain burns up to 60 per cent of her body.
The victim worked as a security guard and was alone in her rented house during the incident.
The incident took place when she opened the stove without realising that the cooking gas tank had leaked.
Hafizan who works as a technician in Bukit Minyak, Seberang Perai Tengah said he was upset because he had not seen his mother for the past month.
He said, previously the deceased, who is a single mother, lived with him in Seberang Perai but because it was far from her place of work, his mother rented a house in Teluk Kumbar.
"Usually we would meet once a week but for the past month, mother often avoided meeting up, giving the excuse of being busy and could not take time off," he said.