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Malaysian man declared brain dead after incident off Taiwan’s Orchid Island

Young man might have hit head on concrete while jumping into harbor

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A young Malaysian who lost consciousness off Orchid Island last weekend was declared brain dead Tuesday August 6.

A young Malaysian who lost consciousness off Orchid Island last weekend was declared brain dead Tuesday August 6. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The young Malaysian man who lost consciousness after jumping into the water off Orchid Island last weekend was declared brain dead Tuesday (August 6).

Relatives visiting him at the Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taitung agreed to turn off life support and donate his organs, the Central News Agency reported.

Chay (謝), 22, on a working vacation on the island, had gone with friends to its harbor to swim last Saturday (August 3) afternoon. However, after he jumped into the water, his friends noticed he had lost consciousness and pulled him ashore.

He never regained consciousness, even after being transferred to a hospital on Taiwan’s main island, 90 kilometers away.

The investigation into the circumstances of the incident still continued, but one theory was that as he jumped into the water, he hit his head on one of the concrete tetrapods common in Taiwanese harbors, according to CNA.