A 10-year-old boy was rushed to Penang Hospital (HPP) after being stung by a pale-edged stingray while playing in the water at Tanjung Asam Beach on Saturday evening (Jan 3).
According to Harian Metro, the boy’s mother said her son, Zaeed Khan Wazir Khan, suddenly screamed in pain while swimming at the beach. At first, she believed he had stepped on a sharp rock after noticing heavy bleeding from his right leg.
“He couldn’t stand up at all and kept crying in pain. My husband immediately carried him out of the water and took him to a nearby clinic,” she said. “After cleaning the wound, the doctor advised us to bring him straight to Penang Hospital.”
She added that her son was in severe pain throughout the journey to the hospital and could not tolerate his leg being touched. He was later transferred from the emergency ward to a regular ward, where doctors continue to monitor his condition.
The mother said the family visits the beach several times a year and that her son had previously been stung by a jellyfish. However, she noted that this injury was far more painful, leading them to believe it was caused by a stingray.
Based on advice from fishermen friends, she said the pale-edged stingray is commonly found near the coast during low tides, adding that the stingray’s spine had broken off and remained embedded in her son’s leg. The boy is currently undergoing treatment and has developed a fever, while doctors continue efforts to fully remove the spine.
Following the incident, Bayan Lepas assemblyman Datuk Azrul Mahathir Aziz issued a public warning about the dangers of venomous marine life during low tide periods.
In a Facebook post, Azrul expressed his sympathy to the boy and urged beachgoers to be cautious or avoid entering the water at Tanjung Asam, Teluk Bayu and other muddy coastal areas during low tides, when pale-edged stingrays and other poisonous marine species are more active. He said the low-tide conditions are expected to continue until March.
