RAWANG: In what appears to be a prank gone wrong, a boy was left stuck inside a washing machine at a self-service launderette in Bukit Sentosa here last night.
In the 12.30am incident, the boy’s uncle allegedly stuffed him inside the front-loading washing machine as a practical joke.
It is understood that the boy’s mother, who was washing her clothes at the time, was initially unaware of the man’s actions.
However, the boy was left stuck inside the appliance for at least 10 minutes after washing machine door became stuck.
The incident was caught in a two-minute-46-second-long video, which has since gone viral on social media.
The boy was eventually extricated from the contraption by several individuals who broke the door’s glass with a hammer.
Meanwhile, the launderette’s owner, Hazmal Hassan, said he received a call on the incident from the boy’s father who promised to pay for damages.
Hazmal said based on the information he received, the boy was accompanying his parents and uncle to the launderette.
“Suddenly, the uncle put the child inside the washing machine and the door became stuck and could not be opened,” Hazmal told the New Straits Times Press when contacted today.
He said several men from a nearby restaurant attempted to open the door but to no avail.
He said the men proceeded to break the door’s glass before gently pulling the boy out of the machine.
“The washing machine door will lock automatically when coins are inserted or when someone hits the start button.
“I don’t know how it happened but a boy’s life was at stake,” he said, adding that he suffered RM3,000 in losses.
He said the boy was lucky as the machine failed to start possibly because it was overloaded.
He also said he has lodged a police report and urged the authorities to conduct an investigation into the “life-threatening” incident.