He was just one lock away from safety

TNP PHOTO: Yap Ning

Residents at Block 18, Jalan Sultan, are struggling to come to terms with the horrific death of one of their neighbours.

At about 2am on Saturday, a resident on the 16th floor died in his burning flat.

Mr Ghulam Rasul Abdullah was trapped by his own steel gate. Neighbours screamed at him to get out as Mr Ghulam, 62, called for help while frantically searching for his keys.

His body was found later, by the steel gate just a few steps from safety.

Said Mr Ghulam's immediate neighbour, Mr Teddy Sim, 35: “I tried to help, but I couldn’t do much as I didn’t have the proper tools.”