KUALA LUMPUR – The father of a two-year-old Russian boy who died after being stung by a box jellyfish at Chenang Beach in Langkawi last Saturday has called for improved safety measures.
Nikita Iakubanets, 32, hopes the authorities will take steps to address the issue, to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
"They should improve beach safety because deaths like this must be prevented. Our son's death shows that the problem is very serious and has caused us immense pain.
"We hope to see how this problem will be addressed in the future. We hope our son will be the last person to die from this," Bernama quoted Nikita telling reporters in Alor Setar, Kedah, today.
Nikita, together with his wife Olga, also 32, and their son Vladimir, were swimming at Chenang beach on Saturday morning when the boy screamed in pain.
The child was immediately carried to shore and administered rescue breathing before being rushed to a nearby clinic. Vladimir was then transferred to Hospital Sultanah Maliha (HSM) in Langkawi and later to the Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB). The boy succumbed on Thursday, after four days of intensive treatment.
Meanwhile, Kedah Tourism, Culture and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Salleh Saidin, who visited the couple at the hospital, expressed hope that an antidote for jellyfish stings will be made available at HSM to protect the public.
According to him, such an antidote is available in several places, including Sabah, but there is none in Kedah.
“So we will take this matter to the Ministry of Health so that this antidote can also be placed in Langkawi, because Langkawi also has beaches like Sabah,” Bernama quoted him saying.
Bernama also reported that the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) is collaborating with the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, to study jellyfish behaviour and population patterns in Langkawi waters. – November 22, 2025
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