All three bodies of drowned victims have been found

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BERA: The bodies of two more victims feared drowned in the incident in Sungai Kampung Paya Panjang, Mengkarak, Wednesday, were found Thursday evening by the search-and-rescue teams.

Bera acting police chief, ASP Sharanjeit Singh said the last body, that of Zulpahdi Mohd Ali, 18, was found at about 7.15pm, about 250 metres from the spot where the incident occurred.

“The second victim, Mohamad Nor Ariff Saidi, 19, was found at 5.15pm, 350 metres from the location (they were) reported missing,” he said when contacted by Bernama, here, Thursday.

He said both the victims were from Kampung Paya Panjang, Bera.

Zulpahdi was a student of a private college in Melaka, while Mohd Nor was a Form Six student at SMK Mengkarak.

He said the SAR team had found the body of the first victim, Amirul Azizi Mahzan, 19, at 3.15pm.

Meanwhile, the deputy commander of operations, Senior Superintendent of the Fire and Rescue Services Department, Mohd Arshad Abdullah, said the SAR operations were carried out by 41 members of various agencies, including 15 members of the Scuba Unit in the Fire and Rescue Department.

“The search was conducted within a radius of about 200 metres from the location where the victims started drowning. They faced some difficulty due to the swift currents of the river, besides the many tree branches on the riverbed.

“The river is quite deep, reaching between 20 to 30 feet,” he told reporters at the scene.

The three friends drowned while bathing in the river with two others at about 5.30pm Wednesday.

The other two, however, were saved by villagers after being informed of the incident by another friend who was also at the scene.

The Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah also visited the area Thursday evening, presenting donations to the families of the victims.

“Take good care of your family, do not let them bathe in the river,” he said to the people of the village.

The father of one of the victims, Mohd. Ali Hamid, 48, initially did not believe it when one of his neighbors told him that his son Zulpahdi had drowned in the river. He said his son rarely bathed in the river and would normally inform if he was going to do so.

“As I arrived at the scene, I saw his motorcycle nearby, and then I realised he was one of those who had drowned, because I knew he could not swim.

“He was an obedient and helpful son, probably my time with him was up to this point only,” he said. — Bernama