JOHOR BARU: The husband of a woman whose death was linked to the Pasir Gudang pollution has pleaded the public, NGOs and political parties to stop circulating pictures of his late wife.



A. Bakar Abd Rahman, 48, said the death of his wife, Marini Kasman, 38, was due to heart failure and not because of the air pollution in Pasir Gudang.



“My statements were twisted, I was still grieving and just finished burying my wife before some reporters from unknown agencies came up and asked questions.



“I would like to apologise if anything I've said have been misinterpreted, and I do not want to blame any government agencies or department,” according to A. Bakar when met at his home in Taman Cahaya Masai here on Sunday (July 7).



He added that his wife had been suffering from high blood pressure and asthma.



“She was admitted to Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) on Friday (July 5) at 10pm after complaining that she was having breathing difficulties.



“She was pronounced dead by the doctor at about 4am on Saturday (July 6) due to heart failure,” he said, adding that he and his wife had worked together as caterers.



A. Bakar added that he was shocked to see that his wife's death had been manipulated to spread false news.



“I have been called to give my statement to the police. There are also irresponsible people out there who have used pictures of me and my wife during the recent Hari Raya to gain sympathy.



“I would like to advise these people to stop, if you have some humanity in you, you should understand my current situation,” he said, adding that no one has come up and met with him after the death of his wife.



The Health Ministry had refuted rumours on social media that Marini died due to the Pasir Gudang pollution.



In expressing his condolences to the family, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the woman had suffered from chronic hypertension for the past 10 years.



"She was brought to HSI Johor Baru on July 5 after experiencing difficulty in breathing and coughing for three days. Her legs were also swollen and she had a fever," he said, adding that the woman was later warded at the hospital.



Checks later revealed that Marini had acute high blood pressure in addition to troubled breathing.



"The medical team did their best to treat her but her condition became more serious and she died at 4.20am on July 6 from decompensated heart failure," he said in a statement Sunday.



Earlier, Marini's death had sparked a social media frenzy after it was linked to the air pollution in Pasir Gudang.



A poster, as well as a news clip about the woman’s death, have also been circulated via WhatsApp and Facebook.