Babysitter in Malaysia dies after running into burning house to save 2 toddlers

Covering her head with a wet towel, a babysitter ran into her burning house on Monday (July 29) to rescue two toddlers under her care.

Although she managed to save the girls, the 59-year-old woman died from extensive burn injuries hours later.

A fire had broken out that morning in the living room of her terrace house in Johor, Malaysia.

The woman had stepped out to buy breakfast as the children slept in the master bedroom, China Press reported.

When she returned and saw her house on fire, the babysitter wanted to run inside to save the girls but she was held back by passers-by.

"Mum was so worried about the children, she kept asking me 'what to do?'" said the woman's youngest son, who rushed home after learning about the fire.

The 31-year-old tried to enter the house but he couldn't get past the flames in the living room.

To look for another way to get in, he drove to the back of the house and found his neighbours trying to douse the fire with water.

But the man didn't realise that his mother had dashed into the blaze to find the girls (one of them is her granddaughter).

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When he made his way into the house, he found her sitting on the floor with the toddlers.

She shielded them from the flames, and had burns on 80 per cent of her body, including her face, limbs, chest, and back.

One of the children suffered burns on her legs while the other was unharmed.

After getting the toddlers to safety with the help of others, the babysitter's son had to drag her out of the blazing house. 

He rushed his mother to a private hospital but she had to be transferred to a public hospital due to the severity of her injuries.

Despite the doctor's best efforts, the woman died on the next day.

Her son revealed that she had plans to retire from babysitting after caring for the current batch of kids.

She had been minding young children for the past 24 years and was looking forward to enjoying her golden years before the fire took her life, he said.

The cause of the fire remains unclear at the time of reporting.

lamminlee@asiaone.com