Hawker in Penang passes away from burn injuries


Hawker stall vendors are typically found busy with food preparations before patrons arrive. Oftentimes, this arduous prep involves various challenges, including handling hot food and large woks of oil.

For this pisang goreng hawker stall vendor in George Town, Penang, tragedy struck while she was carrying out preparations at her over 30-year-old food stall. She sustained severe burn injuries, which took her life.


Woman has been operating stall for over 30 years


On Sunday, 14th March 2022, a 74-year-old woman, Zhong Bixuan, was getting her hawker stall ready for the day. She usually operates the pisang goreng stall near Rifle Range flats alone, and has served customers in the area for over 30 years.

She’d even taught her two sons to fry bananas, and they have their own pisang goreng stalls too.

Goreng pisang hawker passes away - flatsImage credit: Wikimedia Commons

Around 3PM, the elderly woman was said to have suffered a bout of dizziness and collided with a wok of oil while prepping her stall.

Several passers-by immediately stepped in to offer assistance, as she had sustained burn injuries to her face and body. Her husband, who sometimes helps run the stall, also rushed to the stall from their residence at the flats.

However, she succumbed to her injuries after she was transported to the hospital for treatment, where doctors attempted CPR on her.

Goreng pisang hawker passes away - wokImage credit: Sin Chew 

In an interview with Sin Chew, one of the woman’s three sons shared that their mother’s pisang goreng stall in Penang would be temporarily closed.

The sons will be taking care of their 80-year-old father, and returning to Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, in the meantime after they had rushed to Penang upon hearing about their mother’s accident.

They currently operate pisang goreng stalls in Seremban for a year now, with skills they had learned from their mother.


Our condolences go to the woman’s family


It’s never easy to lose a loved one. This family recently had to say their farewells due to a tragic accident that saw a woman dear to them, succumbing to her injuries while she was operating her hawker food stall in Penang.

We extend our deepest condolences to the woman’s family, and hope that her soul rests in peace.

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Cover image (for illustration purposes only) adapted from: Wikimedia Commons and Penang Today Properties

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