Search expands for students feared drowned

Race against time: Members of the search party looking for the victims. — Bernama

DUNGUN: A massive search and rescue operation has been activated to locate four Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Polytechnic students, who went missing and are feared drowned at Pantai Teluk Bidara.

At press time, the four students have yet to be found as rescue workers raced against time to find them.

Search efforts have been extended some 15km to Pantai Sura near here.

One of the students, Muhammad Zul Fahmi Zuki, was never known to have taken a dip in the water whenever he came to the beach in the past.

His father Zuki Ab Razak, 53, said he did not expect his son to join five of his friends for a swim.

“Since young, Zul Fahmi has never taken a dip in the sea during any outing to the beach.

“Besides, he also did not know how to swim, ” he said when met at the scene yesterday.

He said Zul Fahmi, the second of five siblings, was active in sports.

Zuki said his son had not returned to his home in Kemaman for the past three weeks as he was busy training for the polytechnic sports tournament.

“I was told of the incident when a mother of another missing student contacted me on Friday night.

“We can only pray and hope they are found soon, ” he said.

A witness, Mohamed Irfan Kamarulzaman, 21, said he and another friend, Mohammad Hazman Mohd Zamili, 21, tried to rescue their four friends but failed due to the strong waves.

“We tried to help them by throwing floats borrowed from the public but to no avail. I did not dare to jump into the water because I don’t know how to swim.

“Only Amir (Mohamad Amir Izzudin Zulkiflee) was seen floating for a while before he too submerged and was not seen again, ” he said.

In the 6.30pm incident on Friday, Muhammad Zul Fahmi, Mohamad Amir Izzudin, Muhamad Luqman Hakim Al Rashid Mohamed Sabarudin and Muhammad Ikhwan Ahmad Azhan, all aged 21, were said to have been lounging at a rocky area of the beach when they slipped and fell into the water.

All four were swept away by the strong waves.

Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department operations division assistant director Mohd Salahuddin Isa said the search and rescue operation involved its Water Rescue Unit using the surface searching method and patrol boats.

The department’s deputy director Sharikan Bustaman said the search had been extended to Pantai Sura as remains of drowned victims in the past were found around the location, dubbed “Teluk Mayat”. — Bernama