PORT DICKSON: Two young siblings drowned when their family car, which was parked along Sg Linggi here, suddenly rolled into the river.
Port Dickson OCPD Supt Maslan Udin said the eight-year-old boy and his six-year-old sister were resting in the car with a couple believed to be their parents in their 40s along the riverbank before the incident.
"Based on preliminary investigation, the man got out of the car, which was parked below the Tg Agas bridge, to have a cigarette and the car suddenly began rolling towards the river.
"The car engine was switched off at the time of the incident," he said.
Supt Maslan said passersby managed to pull the woman out in time, but the children were trapped in the vehicle.
He said rescue teams from the Fire and Rescue Department, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Department immediately launched a rescue operation.
"The girl's body was brought up around 1.24pm, while the boy's was about 1.47pm.
"Medical personnel tried to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on them but both were confirmed dead," he said.
Supt Maslan said the children's remains were found in the front passenger seat of the overturned vehicle at a depth of four metres.
The car's windows were closed while the driver's door was open.
"We were told they have been here the past two to three days just to relax and holiday," he said, adding that the children’s remains were sent to the Port Dickson Hospital for postmortem.
It is learnt that the family is from Putrajaya.
The case, he said, is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
Maslan said the car will also be sent for an inspection to determine why it suddenly rolled into the river.
"We need to know if this was caused by a technical problem," he said, adding that the car will be winched out at low tide.
