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The Coroner's Court in Kota Kinabalu was told that a close friend of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir had witnessed her condition shortly before she was taken to hospital
According to the New Straits Times, school chief warden Azhari Abd Sagap testified that the student, referred to as Student A, was present when Zara was found unconscious at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha on 16 July, around 3am.
"On that day, I asked Student A to come after reading a message from her mother.
"I don't recall the exact time I contacted her, but it was before the ambulance arrived. Student A did see Zara," Azhari said during questioning by Student A's lawyer, Joan Goh, on the 10th day of the inquest before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Azhari confirmed that Student A had been a close friend of Zara
He added that her mother last contacted him on 15 July at 10.54pm to report her daughter's missing wallet.
Zara was discovered unconscious at the school on 16 July and pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Azhari further told the court that he was unsure if Student A later transferred from the school due to trauma from the incident.
The court also heard that Student A's mother had applied for medical leave for her daughter from 28 July to 4 August, and again from 8 August onwards.
On 11 August, she informed Azhari that she would collect her daughter's belongings from the school.
