KOTA KINABALU: Two 11-year-old boys died after they were swept away by strong currents while swimming in a river in Lahad Datu.
Tragically, one of the boys died in hospital after he was rescued by passers-by. The other boy’s body was found some 30m from where he was last seen.
It is believed that Nur Naufal Iqbal Mohammed Nizam and Mohammad Juiqram Julmasalleh were swept away by the currents while swimming with friends in Kampung Tabanak at about 4pm on Friday.
Nur Naufal was saved by members of the public and was rushed to the hospital while Mohammad Juiqram went missing.
Nur Naufal died while warded at the Lahad Datu hospital at about 4am on Saturday while Mohammad Juiqram’s remains were found on the same day at 11.30am.
“Mohammad Juiqram’s body was found by his older brother, some 30m from where the boy was last seen,” said Lahad Datu Fire and Rescue station chief Sumsoa Rashid.
Terrible tragedy: Mohammad Juiqram.
He said the department was alerted at 4.39pm on Friday.
A team of eight firefighters was rushed to Kampung Tabanak.
They were assisted by the Civil Defence Force and the Lahad Datu Wildlife Department, he added.
After gathering information on the ground, they established that the two children had encountered difficulties in the water.
Sumsoa said they continued the search for Mohammad Juiqram after they were informed that Nur Naufal had been rescued by civilians.
Mohammad Juiqram’s body was handed over to the police for further investigations.
The operation ended at noon on Saturday.
