KUCHING: Muhammad Khairul Hisyam Kasturi, 23, one of the five rowers who went missing following the capsize of a regatta boat during training in the Sarawak River on Friday (Oct 18) had always disliked water activities and could not swim, according to his uncle.
His uncle, Mohd Ridzuan Aban, 64, expressed sadness that the tragedy occurred just after Muhammad Khairul had become engaged to his school sweetheart, Najwa Anizan, 22, last Sunday (Oct 13).
"I only found out Khairul was participating in the regatta after receiving this sad news. He had no history of boating and was not accustomed to going out to sea, so I was surprised to learn that he was involved as a rower because he couldn't swim well.
"This was his first regatta and Friday’s practice was only his third. If I had known from the start that he was joining the regatta, I would have stopped him because it is a high-risk sport, especially when he isn't skilled at swimming," he said.
On Saturday (Oct 19) at the search and rescue (SAR) operation centre at Royal Bay Commercial Centre, Mohd Ridzuan, from Kampung Rebak in Asajaya, said he received news of the incident at about 7pm on Friday via a call from the victim’s mother.
He described Khairul, the eldest of two brothers, as quiet but cheerful and responsible towards his family.
"Not long ago, we suffered another misfortune. The victim’s mother and I had just lost our sister about 20 days ago, and now this tragedy has made us lose another beloved family member within a month.
"His fiancée was shocked to the point of fainting... she could only hold on to Khairul’s shirt," said Mohd Ridzuan.
A total of five regatta rowers were feared drowned at around 3.50pm on Friday in the Sarawak River near the Royal Bay Commercial Centre along Jalan Buruh Bintawa, when their boat capsized due to choppy waves from an approaching fishing vessel.
In that incident, only 11 of the 16 regatta participants, who were also Sarawak Security and Enforcement Unit (UKPS) personnel, managed to save themselves.
The other four missing victims are Mohamad Ikhmal Sama’ail, 34, Majurie Maharuf, 32, Mohd Afiq Isyamudin Asaari, 26, and Mohamad Khairul Bidin, 26.
the rowers were training for the highly anticipated Sarawak-Kuching 2024 Waterfront Regatta Festival, scheduled from Nov 1-3. – Bernama
