MIC treasurer-general S Vell Paari has called on Malaysians not to share photographs of the victims who lost their lives in a fire at a religious school in Kampung Datuk Keramat this morning.

“I would like to call on all Malaysians to stop sharing the images of these young victims on social media, especially their bodies and charred remains.

“Please feel some pity for and compassion towards their families when these kinds of pictures are posted on social media. This is not right,” he said in a media statement.

Expressing condolences to the families of the victims, Vell Paari also said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as well as the Fire and Rescue Department must start identifying the religious schools that do not comply with safety requirements.

“Help them, and get them to comply with these safety standards accordingly so that this kind of incident will not happen again,” he added.

More than twenty people, mostly students, perished in an early morning fire that broke out at the Pusat Tahfiz Quran Ittifaqiyah on Jalan Keramat Hujung.

The blaze is believed to have started about 5.10am on the second floor of the school and the Fire Department was alerted about 5.40am.

The Star Online quoted city police chief Comm Amar Singh as saying that the victims were trapped in the room they perished in, as the fire was right outside the door.

He said that based on initial investigations, there was no foul play involved, but added that the Fire Department will still conduct a thorough investigation.