SANDAKAN: Two boys, aged nine and 11, drowned while swimming in an abandoned pond along Jalan Sungai Manila in Sandakan on Monday (July 20).
The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department said it received an emergency call at 6.01pm and deployed five firemen from the Sandakan station to the scene, about 19km away.
“The two victims had been found and brought out of the pond by members of the public before the fire team arrived,” the department said in a statement.
Health Ministry personnel examined the boys and pronounced both dead at the scene.
Firemen helped move the victims to a safe area before their bodies were handed over to the police for further action.
The nine-year-old victim was identified as Mohd Ikmal, while the identity of the 11-year-old boy has yet to be established.
The operation, led by Rosemedian Majid, ended at 7.08pm after the area was confirmed to be safe.
