Father of boy crushed by concrete block pleads with public not to blame family

THE grieving father of a 12-year-old boy killed in a tragic concrete block accident in Pasir Puteh has urged the public not to direct blame towards his wife or family, saying his son had special needs and was difficult to control due to his hyperactive behaviour.

Nor Ismail Nasir, 52, said his eldest child, Mohammad Yusof Nor Ismail, was a child with learning disabilities and autism who required constant supervision.

Speaking at the family home in Kampung Bukit Gedombak, Nor Ismail said he was working in Pasir Mas installing glass panels when he received a frantic call from his wife informing him that their son had fallen and been injured.

“When I arrived home, I saw police officers there. My son was autistic and very active. I cannot say much about what happened. I accept this tragedy,” Harian Metro reported him saying.

The father said his son had never previously played near the massive concrete structure, believed to weigh more than 200 kilograms, but acknowledged that the boy’s energetic behaviour often made him difficult to restrain despite the family’s efforts to care for him properly.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon in Kampung Telaga Papan, Semerak, while Mohammad Yusof was playing in a sand area outside the family home together with his younger sister and uncle.

His mother, Nurul Anis Abdul Rahman, 36, said she had been inside the house caring for her three younger children when her 10-year-old daughter, Siti Nur Amaliana, rushed in to say that two children had fallen into the sand and were trapped beneath a concrete slab.

“I went to the scene and saw my son face down in the sand. I called five or six villagers to help move the concrete and I climbed into the sand to pull my child out,” she said.

According to Nurul Anis, her son was still alive after being rescued and managed to speak briefly before losing consciousness.

“After we managed to bring him up, my son was still alive and managed to say, ‘Mat is going away now, I can’t go to school anymore.’

“He also told us that if he was no longer around, we should stay at Moksu Yah’s house in Kampung Seri Gedombak,” she said tearfully.

Mohammad Yusof was later pronounced dead, while another victim, his uncle Mohd Yunus Nasir, 12, remains under treatment at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II in Kota Bharu.

Family members said both boys were children with learning disabilities and attended special education classes under the Integrated Special Education Programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Dalam Rhu.

The child’s body was laid to rest at the Kampung Wakaf Berangan Islamic cemetery at about 1.20am following a post-mortem examination at Hospital Tengku Anis.

The tragedy has drawn widespread sympathy after reports emerged that the boys had been digging in the sand when the heavy concrete block suddenly collapsed onto them at about 2.30pm on Thursday. - May 9, 2026