KUALA LUMPUR: The family of a 16-year-old student who drowned during a training session at a sports school in Johor has filed a police report, alleging negligence that led to his death.
The student’s father, Zaiful Ibrahim, lodged the report at the Jalan Tun Razak police station on April 6 to seek a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“This incident involves the loss of a student’s life at a fully residential school, and it must not be taken lightly. Any negligence in monitoring, safety, or training procedures must be addressed comprehensively to prevent such tragedies from recurring,” said Zaiful on Sunday (April 6).
The family said in a statement that Muhammad Zulfan Iqbal Zaiful, a Form Four student and Under-16 football athlete at Sekolah Sukan Tunku Mahkota Ismail (SSTMI) in Johor, died on November 25, 2024, during a training session.
At 6:30pm that day, the acting principal informed his father that a medical officer at the Bandar Penawar Health Clinic had confirmed his son's death. His body was subsequently sent to Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Baru for a post-mortem.
According to initial accounts, the school’s Under-16 football coach instructed players to undergo a recovery training session at the school’s five-metre-deep diving pool.
Witnesses reported that Muhammad Zulfan was seen sinking to the bottom of the pool and remained underwater for about 15 to 20 minutes before a swimmer-diver present at the scene pulled him out.
By the time he was brought to the surface, he was unconscious and bleeding from the mouth, nose and ears.
Despite the time that has passed, the family claims they have not received any official updates from either the Education Ministry or the police regarding the status of the investigation.
“As of today, we have not been called in to assist the investigation, and there has been no formal communication from the authorities,” Zaiful added.
The family urged the Education Ministry and the Police to conduct a thorough, transparent, fair investigation.
The family was represented by lawyers Hafiz Norkhan and Datuk Imran Tamrin.
