Cradle Says GCEO Nazrin Hassan Was Killed Due To Injuries From His Phone That Exploded
The company said his phone was on charging.
By Sadho Ram — 15 Jun 2018, 04:09 PM
On Thursday, 14 June, Malaysia lost a man who helped give birth to great Malaysian entrepreneurs and startups. The tragic death of Nazrin Hassan, Group CEO of Cradle Fund, who died in a fire at his Mutiara Damansara house has left the startup community in shock.
Earlier today, the management of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd released a press statement on Nazrin's death. According to Cradle, Nazrin died after his mobile exploded.
"The post-mortem report concluded the cause of death as being a complication of blast injuries attributable to an exploding handphone that was being charged next to him," the company said in its statement that was posted on its official Facebook page.
"Speculation on the cause of his death is completely unnecessary and unacceptable at this time. We request for everyone to respect the privacy of the family during this time of grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those he touched on his journey," read the statement by Cradle.
In a separate report prior to the Cradle statement, NST Online had reported about a message from Nazrin's family claiming the mobile, which was on charging, overheated and exploded, causing blunt trauma to the back of Nazrin’s head and leading to his death
According to the report in NST Online, the explosion from the mobile also set fire to the mattress Nazrin was lying on. However, he is believed to have been dead by then, his brother-in-law added in the message, said the report.
"He had two phones, one Blackberry and a Huawei.
"We don't know which one exploded. Who would have thought that such an innocuous, routine procedure (charging a mobile phone) is the reason three young kids will grow up without their father by their side," the message said.
Earlier, it was believed that Nazrin had died due to smoke inhalation after his bed caught fire at his home in Mutiara Damansara
According to a report in The Star Online yesterday, Nazrin's bed reportedly caught fire and he is believed to have died of smoke inhalation.
The Star Online reported that Nazrin had gone to bed while complaining of a migraine, for which he took some medication. However, the bed caught fire.
The incident was reported to the Fire and Rescue Department, which received the report at 12.30pm and despatched two fire engines and 14 firemen to the scene. According to the report in the Star Online, the fire was put out by 12.53pm.
Cradle's Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) also issued their statements, expressing their sorrow
"Cradle has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Nazrin have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor," said Razif Aziz, the Chief Operations Officer of Cradle.
"We are deeply shocked and saddened by this news.
"Having worked with him for many years, his vision and passion have brought endless possibilities to not just Cradle, but to the start-up ecosystem.
"He touched and inspired us, the Cradle family, along with many startup founders, investors and partners. He was one-of-a-kind leader and visionary who made an incredible mark in the start-up ecosystem. Our thoughts and prayers for his wife and children," Juliana Jan, Chief Investment Officer of Cradle, said.