Doctor, nurse drown at Kampung Giam waterfall

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KUCHING: A joyful outing at the Kampung Giam waterfall here for four colleagues from the Sarawak General Hospital’s Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan turned tragic when two of them, a doctor and a nurse, drowned.

The victims were identified as Mohamad Azri Dollah, 27, from Semariang, here, who had just completed his housemanship, and nurse Norfazillah Abdul Kadir, 23, from Kampung Baru, Samarahan.

They and two nurses from the heart centre had gone to picnic and swim at the waterfall area, about 35km from Kuching city, this morning.

At about 11am, Norfazillah was seen struggling in the water and calling out for help. Realising that she could not swim, Mohamad Azri jumped into the water to save her.

However, he too got into difficulty due to the swift current and with the frightened Norfazillah pulling at him, both went under water and disappeared.

Their two colleagues who saw the incident went to get help from the villagers, following which a Kampung Giam Rela (People’s Volunteer Corps) team led by Captain Dewort Jawap and several villagers mounted a search-and-rescue operation at the scene of the incident.

“The bodies of the two drowned victims were found by villagers about 12.30pm and were sent to the Sarawak General Hospital,” said Dewort.

Friends of the victims rushed to the waterfall on hearing about the incident.

The Kampung Giam waterfall is a popular eco-tourism attraction with many people picnicking and swimming there due to its cool, crystal clear water and scenic beauty.

According to some villagers, people had drowned there before this incident due to the swift river current. – Bernama