A Bomba photo shows the firefighter working to free the boy’s leg which got stuck in the metal drain grate.
BINTULU (April 26): The local authority should further improve the safety feature of the metal drain grate near SK Kampung Baru here to prevent any untoward incident from reoccurring.
On Wednesday, a primary schoolboy was rescued after his right leg got stuck in the metal drain grate outside the school compound at Jalan Kampung Baru.
A local resident said despite the area being cordoned off by the authority, the curiosity of children made it difficult to keep them away from the site.
“The area has actually been installed with safety features and closed with an iron fence, but it is hard for us to monitor these children who are always playing there,” he said.
According to him, children are always waiting for the school bus in the area.
“I would yell at them to not play there because I’m afraid something bad would happen.
“Because there are too many students, the school management cannot effectively monitor the children’s movements outside the school premises.
“Therefore, I urge the parents to remind their children of the dangers in the area, and not to run along the roadside while waiting for their parents to pick them up.
“Since the school has both morning and afternoon sessions, and is located next to a busy road, there is always a risk of children crossing the road recklessly.
“We, the villagers and the local community, have to be vigilant about their activities in the area,” he said.
Commenting on the incident, he said members of the public attempted to rescue the boy using a car jack to force open the metal drain grate, which was unsuccessful.
He believed that this case should become a lesson to other children not to play in the area.