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Malaysian hawker dies after fainting and falling face first into wok of boiling oil

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A hawker died in Malaysia on Wednesday after he fainted and fell face first into a wok of boiling oil.

The tragic incident took place at a food court in Kuala Kangsar town, 25km north-west of Perak’s capital of Ipoh.

Malaysian Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily identified the man as Liu Youcai, 58, who is well-known for his reasonably-priced chicken chop rice as well as his daily attire of a vest and wooden clogs.

Mr Liu suffered severe burns on his face, chest and back. He was still alive when he was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died 90 minutes later.

Mr Liu’s elder brother, Youming, said his younger sibling had been suffering from high blood pressure for years.

He had advised his brother to rest more and take care of his health, but the younger man could not do so as he was a workaholic, Sin Chew reported.

“He worked six days a week and even on Mondays when his stall is closed, he will come back to prepare ingredients for his dishes,” said a food operator at the food court.

Other operators who had worked alongside Mr Liu paid tribute to him, saying that his RM10 (S$2.92) chicken chop rice had attracted patrons far and wide.

He was also known to be a cheerful person and an animal lover who took in 10 stray dogs at his home and spends an average of RM200 monthly on their food.

On top of that, he would cook a large pot of rice with sweet potatoes every day to feed the strays near the food court.

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