ALOR SETAR: They lived in the same area, grew up together and played together – and after tragedy hit, they were laid to rest together, too.
Four young boys, aged just eight to 12, were all buried in the same grave in Kulim yesterday. All four had died while trying to retrieve a football that had fallen into a drain.
The four – Muhammad Zafril Arsyad, 12, Muhammad Iman Nuruddin Khairol Anuar, 10, Muhamad Aeril Aziz Muhamad Zafis, 12, and Muhammad Arif Naufan Abdullah, eight – all drowned in the drain at Taman Desa Kayangan, Sungai Karangan on Sept 14.
More than 500 family members and friends gathered at the Masjid Jamek Nurul Ehsan Muslim Cemetery for the funeral in Kulim yesterday.
Police said two of the victims died at the scene, while the other two succumbed to their injuries while being taken to Hospital Kulim.
Muhammad Zafril Arsyad’s father Muhammad Azrin Saidin, 35, a labourer, said his son was an active boy who liked exploring.
“He loved fishing and would go to different places to fish. He was an active boy,” he said, adding that Muhammad Zafril Arsyad’s adventurous nature had sometimes worried him.
Muhammad Azrin also said his son was familiar with the area where he had drowned as he often went there.
Muhammad Zafril Arsyad, he said, had been looking forward to meeting his unborn baby brother who is due for delivery in November.
“He was very happy when we told him that the unborn baby is a boy. Little did I know that those words would become his last message to my family,” said Muhammad Azrin.
He said Muhammad Zafril Arsyad was also a responsible and obedient child who cared for his five-year-old brother and three-year-old sister.
“The last time I saw him, he was at home on Sunday before the drowning. He had fever and did not go to school (Sunday is a schooling day in Kedah),” he said.
Muhammad Azrin’s wife, Siti Aisyah Abdullah, 32, also said her son had been excited about having a baby brother.
“We never thought that he would not be around to see his baby brother,” she said.
The remains of the four boys were brought to the Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah here for post-mortem yesterday and later taken to Kulim at 4pm for burial.
