Two girls found alive, one more dead

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Norieen Yaakob receives treatment at SK Tohoi operation centre before being sent to Hospital Gua Musang. — Bernama photo

Norieen Yaakob receives treatment at SK Tohoi operation centre before being sent to Hospital Gua Musang. — Bernama photo

Families of Miksudiar and Norieen hug each other after receiving news of their rescue at Gua Musang Hospital. — Bernama photo

Families of Miksudiar and Norieen hug each other after receiving news of their rescue at Gua Musang Hospital. — Bernama photo

Mother of Miksudiar Alui calms her daughter with words of encouragement after she was found at Sungai Emas.

Mother of Miksudiar Alui calms her daughter with words of encouragement after she was found at Sungai Emas.

GUA MUSANG: Two schoolgirls from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tohoi who went missing since August were found safe under the roots of trees hanging on the riverbank of Sungai Perias here yesterday.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim said the two girls, Miksudiar Alui, 11, and Norieen Yaakob, 10, were found about 3.3km from the Search and Rescue (SAR) Operation Centre at 12.15pm, together with the body of another girl.

“The body was identified as the nine-year-old Ika Ayel. The body identification was done by her family member at the Gua Musang Hospital this (yesterday) afternoon. She was believed to have died four days ago,” he told a press conference here.

Mazlan said Miksudiar and Norieen were found in weak condition due to dehydration and according to the girls, they had to eat grass and wild fruits found around the area to survive.

The duo were among the seven Orang Asli pupils, comprising six girls and a boy, aged seven to 11 years, who escaped from the school’s hostel on Aug 23 for fear of punishment after going for a swim in a river without permission.

On Wednesday, the SAR team had also found a decomposed body of a girl in the river, who was later identified as eight-year-old Sasa Sobrie, one of the missing children.

On Thursday, a part of a child skull and rib bones were found about 500 metres from the site where Sasa’s body was found.

With the discovery of the bodies and the two survivors, the search and rescue team was now intensifying efforts to find three other missing children.

They are Juvina David, seven; Linda Rosli, eight; and Haikal Yaakob, eight.

Mazlan said the location where the bodies and survivors were found was still within the search area and the pupils were probably afraid and hid themselves from the SAR team.

“It is learnt that the surviving victims had pushed the bodies of their friends into the river. However, the case is still classified as missing persons.

“Three bodies, which had been found so far, have yet to be claimed by the families pending the issuance of the DNA reports,” he said.

When asked about the discovery of a child skull and rib bones, Mazlan said the police were still waiting for the post mortem report from the pathologist at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZII).

Earlier, there was a melancholic atmosphere at the SAR Operation Centre at the SK Tohoi as the two survivors were brought in for initial medical attention before being taken to Gua Musang Hospital for further treatment.

As soon as they arrived at the Emergency Unit, mother of Miksudiar, 41-year-old Rozita Behel broke down in tears at the sight of her daughter, who had been missing in the jungle for 48 days, with her lips continued chanting the words “I love my daughter” repeatedly.

The hospital’s mortuary was also engulfed with sad atmosphere as Ayel Ajib, 46, and his wife, Nora Tegeu, 39, identified the body of their daughter, Ika, at around 5.30pm.

With tears in her eyes, Nora could only call Ika’s name while being calmed down by her husband and SAR team members in Temiar language.

It is learnt that the couple identified the body of their daughter by the beaded bracelet and sport attire donned by the girl.

Meanwhile, the two survivors, Miksudiar and Norieen, had been transferred from the Gua Musang Hospital to HRPZII for further treatment.

HRPZII public relations officer Zaid Ahmad said the ambulance transporting the duo arrived at the hospital at 8.30pm.

“The two girls are in weak condition due to dehydration

and they are now warded for further treatment,” he told Bernama, when contacted. — Bernama