A 16-year-old boy died of a heart attack after visiting a haunted house attraction in Malaysia with a close friend.
The teenage victim, whose identity has not been released, went into cardiac arrest in the house, a popular tourist attraction in the municipality of Bentong in the Malaysian state of Pahang on December 1.
According to local media outlets, the teenager was on holiday with the family of a close friend when they decided to visit the haunted house.
Victim Had a Perforated Heart
The boy was touring the haunted house when he collapsed, went pale and became unresponsive as bystanders attempted to revive him, according to a video that was posted on Facebook by a fellow tourist at the attraction.
"Help, help, someone has fainted" a woman's voice can be heard shouting in the video. The boy was carried out of the house to an open area where emergency services were contacted.
However, the boy could not be saved. His body was sent to the Malaysian state of Malacca for a post-mortem examination, which revealed the victim had a perforated heart, according to police. It is unclear if he or his family knew of the condition before his demise.
Heart Attack Triggered by 'Sudden Fright'
Bentong District spokesperson Zaiham Mohd Kahar said the teenager's death has been listed as sudden death.
The Ohio-based medical centre Cleveland Clinic said sudden frights, in rare cases, can trigger a cardiac arrest, particularly among those with underlying heart conditions. The phenomenon is called takotsubo cardiomyopathy - often referred to as broken heart syndrome - a weakening of the heart's main pumping chamber that is typically caused by emotional or physical stress.
"In people with pre-existing risk factors or pre-existing cardiovascular disease, you want to reduce the environments in which you might be suddenly stressed like this," Cardiologist Dr Mark Estes of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
