Fire and Rescue personnel with villagers in the search and rescue operation in the river.
The victim’s body was sent to Keningau Hospital for a post-mortem.
KENINGAU: The body of a teenage boy who was feared drowned after falling into the Pegalan River on April 6 was found more than one km from the scene, on Thursday afternoon.
District police chief Deputy Superintendent Robert Salisip @ David who confirmed the incident yesterday said the body was found by villagers floating in the river at Magis-Agis, near Kampung Sigopon at 1.30pm.
“His body was then taken to Keningau Hospital at 6 pm for autopsy and later claimed by family members for burial on the night of the same day,” he said.
Robert said the father of the victim Salimin Jamir 55 from Kampung Gaulan identified the body of the victim at Keningau Hospital.
A family member of the victim Mahat Madi, who was also involved in the rescue operation told The Borneo Post here yesterday that the victim, known as Mohd Sukri Salimin, 13, came from Kampung Gaulan and went fishing with his father and four other friends.
He said the victim slipped into the river and was swept away by strong currents when trying to retrieve his shoes that had fallen into the river at about 3 pm.
“The district Fire and Rescue Department lunched a rescue operation after being informed on that day.
“The first persons who found the body of the victim were Erdi Rahim and his friends Badrul Jimin, Shahrizan Abdul and Sudin Ahaidin who then told the crowd, including a security team that was looking at the area,” he said.
Mahat said Edri, when he found the body, was stunned and shocked because of the victim’s condition.
He said those involved in the search and rescue operations since the incident were members of the district Fire and Rescue Department, Tenom and Kota Kinabalu Fire and Rescue Scuba Units, the police, Malaysia Civil Defence Department, villagers from Kampung Gaulan, Sigapon and Meninipir.
“His body was claimed at Keningau Hospital after the autopsy and was buried in a Muslim cemetery at Kampung Gaulan that night,” he said.
According to him, the victim was the eighth child of ten siblings and had stopped schooling.
Mahat, on behalf of the family, expressed his appreciation and thanks to everyone involved in the operation.