Septuagenarian’s body found, believed to be croc victim

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SAR team members carry Leong’s body to their operations control post.

SARIKEI: The body of a septuagenarian, who went missing following a fishing trip to Sungai Mawa in the Sungai Rusa area near here on Tuesday, was found yesterday morning.

Sarikei District Fire and Rescue (Bomba) chief Mahmudin Narudin said Leong Kheng Onn, 72, is believed to have been the victim of a crocodile attack as his left leg was missing.

He was found around 10.40am in a tributary of Sungai Mawa, around 300 metres from a search and rescue (SAR) control post.

Mahmudin said they handed Leong’s body to a police team for transportation to the Sarikei Hospital mortuary.

A post-mortem will be carried out to ascertain the actual cause of death.

Leong’s 27-year-old daughter filed a missing person’s report at 7am on Wednesday, after he failed to return home from his fishing trip the day before.

According to the report, Leong had left the family home on a motorcycle to go to his usual fishing spot at Sungai Mawa around 5pm.

After he did not return home by 9pm, his worried daughter contacted his friends to check if he was with them.

Leong’s friends helped her to look him through the night and found his motorcycle near his fishing spot.

They also found Leong’s slippers and fishing gear at the scene.