Baling fire and rescue chief Zulkhairi Mat Tanjil said the department received an emergency call at 2.42pm and dispatched a team to the Parit Panjang Health Clinic near here.

He said the boy was believed to have been in a car driven by his mother from Sungai Kembal to send his grandmother to a religious class in Baling town when the incident occurred.

“Part of the victim’s face was pierced by a metal rod from the rear seat. Firefighters used a mini cutter to cut the metal rod before handing the victim over to clinic personnel,” he told Bernama.

Zulkhairi said the operation, led by operations commander Najmi Zainal, took about 20 minutes.

“The victim could not be moved until the metal rod had been cut. After we cut the rod, nearly 15cm still remained lodged in the victim’s head.”

He said the operation ended at 3.35pm and the victim was referred to Baling Hospital for further treatment.