MELAKA: A teenager drowned after falling into a water catchment pond at an agarwood plantation along Jalan Gaung Piring in Cheng, here.
Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Christopher Patit identified the victim as Gan Ping Hong, 18, who had been working as a plantation caretaker for the past six months and was found unconscious by his supervisor at about 12.50pm on Thursday (Oct 30).
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the victim began work at 8.30am and was seen at the pond at about 9.04am, based on a WhatsApp photo he had sent to a witness on the same day.
"At 11.30am, the witness tried to contact the victim but received no response before going to the location with a friend to look for the victim.
“At about 12.45pm, the witness and his friend noticed a floating water drum in the three-meter deep pond before going underwater and found the victim lifeless,” he said on Friday.
ACP Christopher Patit said the victim, who had been assigned to water the agarwood saplings, was pulled to the bank before police and ambulance were alerted.
"The post-mortem examination, completed at 7.15pm on Thursday (October 30), found no signs of foul play and the cause of death was due to drowning,” he added.
