May he rest in peace.
A 57-year-old Chinese man went alone to a cemetery to pay respects to his ancestors during Qing Ming, where he reportedly collapsed due to exhaustion. During the visit, he is believed to have accidentally set fire to nearby grass, though the flames were quickly extinguished by a volunteer fire brigade.
However, as he was preparing to leave, he appeared to be physically exhausted. He murmured, “I’m too tired, I won’t come for Qing Ming next year,” and moments later suddenly collapsed.
He was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
The deceased was identified as Yap Jin Chai, who lived in Air Itam, Penang. Earlier that morning, he had driven across the state border to the Kulim, Kedah, to sweep the tombs of his ancestors for the Qing Ming festival.
The day started with a small fire incident from burning joss paper
According to volunteer fire brigade team member Lim Boon Tong, their chairman received a call at around 12:50pm reporting a fire at the cemetery, and the team rushed to assist.
Upon arrival, they found Yap worshipping at a grave while grass beside it was on fire. He admitted that while burning joss paper, sparks had accidentally flown into the grass, causing the fire.
“At that time, he was still alert and able to speak with us. After the fire was put out, he began packing up the offerings and preparing to leave,” Lim said.
Lim explained that the grave was located at the bottom of the hill, and exiting required climbing up a dirt path. As Yap made his way uphill, he was visibly short of breath. Team members offered to help him, but he declined, so they followed behind to monitor him.
“After climbing a few steps, he said he was tired and sat down, muttering, ‘I’m very tired, I won’t come for Qing Ming next year.’”
After resting briefly, Yap appeared too weak to continue walking and began crawling uphill using both hands. Shortly after, he suddenly collapsed.
Another team member, Tan Chin Wan, immediately performed CPR. At one point, Yap stopped breathing, then briefly regained it, but despite emergency efforts and being transported to the hospital, he was ultimately pronounced dead.
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