Family’s prayers answered after Ying Qi’s body found
Posted on January 22, 2012, Sunday
CLOSURE OF A TRAGIC CHAPTER: Ying Qi’s body arrives at the Sarawak General Hospital.
KUCHING: The body of Kho Ying Qi, the Upper 6 student who was swept away during a flash flood in the city on Jan 5, was found yesterday in Muara Tebas, bringing an end to a 16-day search, which was closely followed by the public.
The discovery was made around 9.30am by a group of women from Kampung Goebilt while searching for river snails along the bank of the Sarawak River next to a coal-powered plant owned by Sejingkat Power Corporation milesdownstream from the spot where she fell into the drain.
The body of the 19-year-old SMK Batu Lintang student was still clad in her school uniform- minus her shoes- and was in a badly-decomposed state when found.
One of the women, whose husband works at the power plant, said she smelled an odour coming from the mangrove trees and decided to take a look, and was shocked to see a body trapped among the roots of one of the trees.
Realising they had most likely stumbled upon the body of the missing student, the women quickly informed a group of auxiliary policemen at the power plant, who in turn notified the police.
District police chief ACP Roslan Bek Ahmad confirmed the recovery when contacted yesterday, saying the girl’s father, Kho Khiew Teck, had positively identified the body as belonging to Ying Qi based on the car key found in her skirt pocket.
The body was subsequently taken to the Sarawak General Hospital mortuary and was received by waiting family members and relatives.
When met, Khiew Teck said he learned of the discovery after receiving a call from the police around 11.30am asking him to identify a body found in Muara Tebas.
Family never gave up hope
He said the family had never given up hope of finding Ying Qi’s body, and thanked everyone who had contributed their time and resources from the day his daughter went missing up to when she was found.
He also said that Ying Qi’s body will be cremated today in Bau.
In a heart wrenching moment for everyone at the hospital, Ying Qi’s mother, Chan Bee Hong, cried as she embraced the brother-in-law of the late Herman Sihas @ Mohd Sulaiman Abdullah, who drowned while trying to save Ying Qi that fateful morning.
The brother-in-law, who turned up at the hospital after being contacted by Khiew Teck, said that he was relieved the Kho family’s ordeal had come to an end, adding that Herman’s mother had been praying everyday for Ying Qi’s body to be found.
He also disclosed that Ying Qi’s father had in fact called him earlier in the morning to arrange for the
two families to meet up after Chinese New Year as Herman’s family are currently back in their village in Lundu.
Ying Qi slipped into the raging water of a swollen monsoon drain at Rock Road and was swept away on the morning of Jan 5.
Herman, a petrol station worker, also drowned when he jumped into the drain together with an off-duty fireman in a failed attempt to rescue the student.
His body was found on Jan 7 at Sungai Maong Ulu and was subsequently buried at the Semariang Muslim Cemetery.
The tragedy had tugged at the heart strings of people from all walks of life, who not only expressed their sympathies to the victims’ families, but also lauded the late Herman for sacrificing his life in trying to save another.
