Melaka: The seven-year-old boy who was being treated at Melaka Hospital after he nearly drowned in a swimming pool at an apartment in Taman Kota Laksamana on Sunday died this morning. State Health, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem confirmed that the student from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Rinting 3, Johor, was declared dead by the hospital director at approximately 11 am.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the cause of death was identified as loss of brain function. The child had been on a ventilator, and it was scheduled to be removed today to assess if he could breathe independently. Unfortunately, his heart stopped before this could occur, as revealed by Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem to reporters outside the Melaka State Legislative Assembly in Seri Negeri.

Ngwe further mentioned that the child’s remains were released to his next of kin at 12.05 pm and were to be transported to Johor for burial. Earlier reports had detailed that the boy, a resident of Masai, Johor, had nearly drowned in the apartment’s pool around 9.30 am on Sunday.

The boy was found unconscious and was immediately taken to Melaka Hospital, where he was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for medical care. Preliminary police investigations indicated that the boy had visited the swimming pool with his family, who later realized his absence from the pool.

A search ensued around the pool area, leading to the discovery that some members of the public had already rescued him from the water before he was transported to the hospital for treatment.