Visiting the scene of the fire at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Baru on Tuesday was a heart rending experience for Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He was also moved to see the nation’s various races coming together in the wake of the tragedy.

As he penned it in his Facebook account: “The tragic incident was a timely reminder that humanity comes alive when our hearts beat as one, when we feel for each other and when we weep together regardless of whether one is Malay, Indian or Chinese.

“I witnessed the three races hugging each other as if they were siblings for the loss of the daughter in the fire,” he said.

Six patients perished in the fire which was believed to have started about 9am Tuesday from the hospital’s ICU treatment room in the south wing.

They were K Logeswaran, 20, Choo Lin Fung, 37, Toh Ah Wah, 60, Yusof Hassan, 53, M Kaliama, 23, and C Neeramala Devi, 24.

- Bernama