Five hours, one lorry: Civil Defence, villagers pull together to bury 23-year-old, 250kg man in Rantau Panjang

A 23-year-old man with an obesity-related condition who died was buried at the Gual Tinggi Islamic Cemetery in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan with the help of villagers and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force at the request of the Health Ministry on September 18, 2026. — Screengrabs from Facebook video/Apmrantaupanjang

First Published: Saturday, 19 Sep 2026 11:23 AM MYT

KOTA BHARU, Sept 19 — The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) today assisted with the burial of a 250-kilogramme man at the Gual Tinggi Islamic Cemetery in Rantau Panjang.

Rantau Panjang APM officer Lt (PA) Mohd Fuad Ismail said the team received a request from the Ministry of Health early this morning to undertake the special service.

“The MOH requested assistance to transport the 23-year-old deceased, who was from Kampung Gual Tinggi, Rantau Panjang, and had an obesity-related condition, from Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian to Masjid Al-Hidayah for the funeral prayer before he was buried.

“The operation lasted nearly five hours, from 11.01 am to 3.56 pm, involving an officer, two personnel, and a lorry. The villagers also lent a hand to facilitate the burial arrangements,” he said in a statement last night. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: The initials APM stand for Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia.