KUALA LUMPUR, 27 May: The sad story of the five siblings recently orphaned in a blink of an eye received the attention of the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

The Member of Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak today visited the five siblings who then called him ‘atuk’ (grandpa).

Abdul Khalid also familiarised himself with the affectionate nickname during the visit and also chose to sit crossed-legged and shared stories with the five children.

“As a Member of Parliament, I will continue to monitor and help a little so that these children are well taken care of.

“Our focus is to ensure that they receive long-term help, especially in terms of schooling, accommodation and cost of living,” he told reporters.

Earlier, he visited the house left behind by the parents of these unfortunate siblings at Taman Desa Cheras.

Although the children were tired, as they had just returned from Perak, they spoke and answered each question by Abdul Khalid.

“Atuk also has a three-year old grandchild, just like you. But he plays with ‘power rangers’ figurines,” he joked with the youngest child who is three-years old.

After spending an hour with them, Abdul Khalid had to take his leave for important matters and took the opportunity to hand over personal contributions to the children’s guardian.

The five children, aged between three and 16, are now under the care of their close relatives, with the help of the apartment’s mosque committee.

Last Friday, their father, Jefri Mohd Zain, 46, and his wife, Norsalawati Ibrahim, 40, were involved in a fatal accident on their way to work at Jalan Loke Yew.

The couple are buried at the Muslim cemetery in Sungkai, Perak.