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SHAH ALAM - A 21-year-old Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student has died after suffering breathing difficulties during an outdoor endurance event, prompting the university to cancel remaining outdoor activities and the higher education minister to demand a full report.
Here's what's known so far.
What happened
The student was taking part in the Mara Lasak segment of the Komander Kesatria Endurance Challenge (KKEC) on Friday, Sept 4, when he began suffering breathing difficulties.
He was first taken to Jengka Hospital in Maran before being transferred to Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital (Hoshas) in Temerloh after his condition worsened due to a drop in oxygen levels.
He died at 2.08pm on Saturday, Sept 5, while being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit, Maran district police chief Supt Wong Kim Wai said.
Wong said seven other students, four male and four female, suffered similar breathing difficulties in the same incident at around 9.57pm and were taken to Jengka Hospital.
A separate police account, citing an early medical examination, pointed to heat-related complications, including reduced oxygen levels, as a factor.
Who was the victim
The student has been identified as Fadhlan Fakhry Solana Mohd Fellimal, a final-year diploma student at UiTM's Seremban campus, representing UiTM's Negeri Sembilan branch.
He had been newly commissioned as a Leftenan Muda Kesatria on Aug 29 and was awaiting his official university degree offer letter.
The university said it is supporting his family, including with funeral arrangements, documentation, transport and emotional support.
What is KKEC
Komander Kesatria is a uniformed student leadership and cadet organisation at UiTM and KKEC is its annual programme bringing together participants from UiTM branches nationwide.
This year's edition was hosted at UiTM Jengka and involved 521 participants from UiTM campuses across the country, excluding Sarawak.
The challenge ran from Sept 2 to 8 and comprised an eight-kilometre run, a 20-kilometre cycling leg and a 10-kilometre Mara Lasak event.
UiTM's response
Pahang UiTM said it cancelled the outdoor events scheduled for Sunday as part of its commitment to student safety and health.
The university maintained the programme had been conducted in line with strict health and safety standard operating procedures, with all participants required to undergo health screening before the programme began and periodic checks before each event.
It added that several participants had already been asked to withdraw after failing a final screening.
What happens next
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has directed UiTM to submit a comprehensive report on the student's death.
"We take seriously every matter involving students participating in programmes of this nature.
"I have asked UiTM to prepare a comprehensive report so that we can determine the causes as well as the subsequent action that needs to be taken," he told the media after the presentation of sponsorship letters for tuition fees to Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) students today.
Zambry added that the ministry would ensure that the safety and welfare of students were given due attention in the implementation of such programmes.
Police investigations are ongoing, with the post-mortem report still pending to confirm the exact cause of death.
