KUALA SELANGOR, MALAYSIA: The tears flowed freely in Pasir Penambang yesterday.

Too Hui Min died on Wednesday night from a colon infection.

The entire village, it seemed, had turned up for the wake of 18-year-old Too Hui Min, the National Service trainee who died of a colon infection on Wednesday.

They were joined by some of Hui Min's fellow trainees as they tried to comfort her family and other relatives.

There was naught they could do, however, as many of the teen's family members broke down when her body arrived at 3pm.

The person who seemed worst hit was Hui Min's aunt, Sia Poh Hiong. The 50-year-old broke down and sobbed uncontrollably then.

"I cannot believe she is gone. She is a good girl. She lived with me for five years. How can she die just like that?" wailed Sia as the casket was carried into the Too family home.

Hui Min's mother, Chin Kwei Choo, 52, was more composed but lashed out at the National Service Training Council for not taking her daughter to the hospital immediately after she complained of having an upset stomach.

"They should have taken my daughter immediately to the hospital and not waited until a few hours later."

Chin said she received four calls from camp authorities about her daughter's condition. The last one was to announce Hui Min's death.

"When I received that last call, I was numb. I was in shock but I sort of accepted it after receiving the previous calls."

Hui Min's father, Jong Sing, 55, was more stoic at the wake, standing at the head of the coffin, accepting condolences with a blank expression.

Her elder brother, Hin Woon, seemed mystified by her sudden death.

He said she sounded her usual cheerful self when she telephoned him on the morning of her death.

"She sounded really excited about the firearms training that morning. She even told me 'Don't be jealous, okay'," he said.

Hui Min's fellow trainees brought her belongings from the camp and handed them to the family.

The disbelief that their friend was gone clearly registered on their pale faces as they viewed her body lying in the casket.

One trainee, Elmilia Elbert, said Hui Min was about to start a week's leave from training so she could register for Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia classes.

Before the group left for firearms training, she said, Hui Min went from bed to bed wishing everybody goodbye.

Another trainee, Noor Suriawati Saban, said Hui Min liked to chat with everyone, not caring what race they were.

She liked learning new languages, especially Korean, said Hui Min's 13-year-old sister Hui Wen.

"She learnt Korean while watching serial dramas and through the Internet."

Fighting back the tears while going through Hui Min's childhood photographs in the family album, Hui Wen said her sister had hoped to become a tour operator and travel the world.

Hui Min's funeral service is scheduled to be held at 11am today, followed by cremation in Meru.