KABONG: A 13-year-old boy dragged into the sea by trawler nets in a freak accident off Muara Kabong near here last Wednesday has been confirmed drowned.
The body of Shahrin Abdullah was found in the waters of Beting Maro around 12.30pm yesterday by residents of Kampung Beladin who had joined in the three-day search-and-rescue operation.
Head of Kabong Police Station, Sergeant Sharbini Arup, when contacted for confirmation of the accident, said the boy’s body had been sent to Betong Hospital for a post mortem.
The accident was believed to have happened when the 13-year-old was fishing with his uncle and another relative about 4 miles off Muara Kabong.
Based on the report, the boy’s leg had got entangled with the trawler net while the three were casting it into the sea, causing him to be dragged into the water.
A relative who witnessed the mishap jumped into the sea but failed to rescue him.
After receiving the report, the police with the assistance of members of Vigilante Corps (Rela) and Civil Defence Department and villagers mounted a search for the missing lad.