No foul play in death of boy who choked on gummy candy – cops

The police confirmed that there was no foul play in the death of 10-year-old Fahmi Hafiz Mohammad Fakhruddin, who choked on a gummy candy two days ago.

Seberang Perai Utara police chief Anuar Abdul Rahman said it was based on the initial report from the post-mortem.

The boy died last night while receiving treatment at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Penang Hospital.

“The initial report confirms that there was no foul play in the death of the 10-year-old boy, but I’m still awaiting the full report to ascertain the actual cause of death.

“For now, the case is classified as sudden death,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

Fahmi was rushed to the hospital after choking on a gummy candy last Tuesday. The boy breathed his last at 11pm yesterday.

The Year Four student from SK Sungai Dua was believed to have bought the candy outside the school before going to his 2.30pm Quran and Fardhu Ain class.

According to Fahmi’s aunt, Siti Farhani Muhammad Fikri yesterday, the boy’s remains will be laid to rest in his grandmother’s hometown in Permatang Binjai once all the hospital processes are completed.

Health dept seizes candies

The Penang Health Department has seized “Gummy Original Basketball Soft Candy” today from a business outlet on Jalan Sungai Dua in Butterworth following Fahmi’s demise.

State Health and Sports Committee chairperson Daniel Gooi Zi Sen confirmed that the seizure followed an inspection by enforcement officers at stalls near a school, with initial investigations suggesting the victim purchased the candy from one of these stalls.

In a statement today, he said the investigation into the product’s safety is ongoing, with any further actions to be coordinated with the Health Ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Programme.

“We will continue our monitoring and enforcement activities to ensure food safety and prevent similar incidents in the future,” said Gooi.

He also urged parents to be more vigilant in monitoring their children’s food choices, particularly items that pose choking risks, stressing that children should only consume food under the supervision of an adult.

“On behalf of the state government, I would like to express my condolences to the victim’s family and friends, and I hope they find the strength to face this difficult time,” he said.

Raising awareness

Education Ministry director-general Azman Adnan said his team has also taken appropriate steps to raise awareness among students and parents to buy the right food at the right place.

“We see this (incident) as a priority so that such things do not happen again,” he told the media after delivering his message in conjunction with the opening of the 2025/2026 school session today.

Azman stressed that school canteens under the supervision of the ministry do not sell food such as gummy candies, and in fact, the candies cannot be sold as gazetted by the Health Ministry.

Azman said the issue of hawkers outside school premises would be closely monitored by the state education departments and schools are to contact the local authorities if there is a hawker within a 40m radius of the school fence.

- Bernama

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