A 16-year-old boy’s close friend has expressed deep regret over feeling he could have done more to save his classmate, who died after being electrocuted during a Nine Emperor God procession in Kedah.
Speaking to China Press, Su Junkai (transliteration) said he had known Xu Zhikang since they were 10 years old, with the pair later becoming classmates in secondary school.
Su said their bond grew even stronger because, among the 31 students in their class, he, Xu and one other student were the only Chinese students.
As a member of St John Ambulance, Su was at the scene when Xu and two others suffered electric shocks during the procession in Mergong on Oct 13.
“Most of the cases I’ve attended to involved heart attacks or road accidents. But this was the first time I witnessed my classmate being a victim of electrocution,” he recalled.
Su said Xu was still conscious while he tried to help him and repeatedly attempted to get back on his feet, leaving him torn between conflicting emotions.
After Xu was admitted to hospital, Su continued checking on his friend through phone calls while preparing for his examinations.
However, nothing prepared him for the devastating news of Xu’s death, leaving him overwhelmed by grief and regret over his inability to save his classmate.
Xu had spent a week in hospital receiving treatment for burns covering 80% of his body.
Despite undergoing a lengthy skin grafting operation, his condition deteriorated, and he died at 2am on Oct 21.
