TRAGEDY struck at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in the early hours of Tuesday when a 53-year-old man was found dead, apparently trapped inside a locked storage room at the university’s sports facility.
The deceased, who is believed to have been a staff member at the public university, was discovered in a storage room containing cleaning equipment.
Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad, Deputy Director of Operations for the Perak Fire and Rescue Department, said authorities received an emergency call from the police at 1.57am requesting assistance to open the locked storage room.
“A team from the Tanjung Malim Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched approximately nine kilometres to the site and arrived at 2.07am. Upon arrival, the storage room had already been opened by UPSI security personnel,” he said in a statement.
Firefighters then conducted a monitoring operation at the scene. The man was pronounced dead by personnel from the Ministry of Health Malaysia, and his body was handed over to the police for further investigation.
“The operation was placed under control at 2.17am and concluded fully at 2.36am,” Sabarodzi added.
A total of nine fire and rescue personnel participated in the operation, supported by a Fire Rescue Tender vehicle and an Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit.
Authorities have not released details regarding the circumstances that led to the man being trapped in the storage room, and investigations are expected to continue. - April 7, 2026
