KUALA LUMPUR — A 68-year-old Malaysian medium died from heart failure and massive second-degree burns after he sat inside a large wok for about 30 minutes with a fire burning underneath.

According to The Star, Mr Lim Ba was performing the "human steaming" stunt on Monday (Oct 23) night during the Nine Emperor God prayer session at a Chinese temple in Kuala Sanglang, of Malaysia's northern state of Kedah.

Devotees removed the cover after they heard erratic knocks from inside the wok, the news report said.

"By the time the ambulance arrived, my father had stopped breathing," Mr Lim's youngest son Kang Huai, 32, was quoted as saying.

Kang Huai said his father had undergone a heart bypass last year and was on medication for hypertension.

The news report said Mr Lim had been performing the stunt for more than 10 years despite objections from family members.

According to this daughter Wei Ling, 37, Mr Lim's longest record for sitting inside the wok was 75 minutes.

In the same report, Federation of Taoist Associations of Malaysia (FTAM) president Tan Hoe Chioew said the ritual was not a normal Taoist practice and that it was more of a theurgy, or magic performance.

"This 'steaming man' ritual is rarely performed, and I dare not comment on what preparations are needed before you perform this.

"But in general, doing physical endurance stunts is not advisable," he was quoted as saying. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE