2 little boys die after eating food waste, father allegedly on drugs when arrested
Two children have died, apparently after eating food waste from a rubbish bin at a coastal settlement in Langkawi.
Their father has been arrested, Malaysian media reports said.
The incident happened at Bukit Malut, about 20km from the town of Kuah on the resort island last month.
The boys were identified as Nizambudin Jamaludin, 4, and his brother, Ngei, 2, by The Rakyat Post.
They were staggering and foaming at the mouth when their father found them near the rubbish bin, the report said.
A few minutes later, they were found to have stopped breathing and villagers called the police.
The father, who was arrested, was later found to have taken drugs, a police official was quoted as saying.
The father reportedly earns a living repairing boats and taking odd jobs in the village.
The deaths were confirmed by medical staff and the two bodies were sent for Covid-19 testing and autopsies.
Bukit Malut is known as Little Myanmar as the people are said to have links to that country. But they are Malay speakers and not recently arrived Rohingya refugees.
There have been reports of law and order issues and unsanitary conditions in the area.
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