The oxidation pond behind the Sibu Jaya flat
SIBU: A nine-year-old boy drowned in an oxidation pond behind a flat in Sibu Jaya at about 2pm yesterday.
Dennis Davison, a Primary 3 pupil, was staying with his parents and four siblings at Block N of Sibu Jaya flats.
When the tragedy struck, his mother was at home, while his father was out working.
According to neighbours, Dennis did not return home after school yesterday morning.
His 13-year-old brother then went looking for him, and when he came across the oxidation pond behind a Sibu Jaya flat, he noticed his brother’s clothes nearby.
He immediately flagged down a passing motorist and both of them went to the oxidation pond. They later saw the boy underneath the water.
They immediately pulled him out. By then, the victim’s mother, Cosma Minggu, had reached the scene.
Cosma took his son home and tried to revive him, but her effort was futile. Paramedics later pronounce him dead.
In 2014, two boys also drowned at the same oxidation pond, which was said to be left behind by contractors after finishing work in the area.
The last drowning case occurred in 2015 at another oxidation pond near SK Sibu Jaya, and it involved the daughter of a police officer residing in Sibu Jaya.
Meanwhile, residents are now concern about the more than 10 oxidation ponds in their midst, and they hoped the relevant authorities would act.