KUANTAN: “I told my sister not to retrieve my pants which was left in the pond, but she was adamant, she fell and drowned.”
These were the words of Mohamad Aiman Hakimi Zuhairi, 10, the younger brother of Salsabila, 12, who drowned in a former bauxite mining pond in Taman Sungai Karang Jaya, Sungai Karang near here on Saturday together with their brother Mahathir, seven, and friend Nureen Ain Juwita Mohd Sharif, 10.
Recalling the moments before the 5pm incident, Mohamad Aiman said he and his siblings and four others had gone for the first time to play in the area.
“I then saw a piece of black rubber and tried to reach for it before falling into the pond. I almost drowned at that time, but managed to save myself by swimming out.
“However, my pants came off and my sister tried to reach for it,” he said when met at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) Forensic Unit here on Saturday night.
He said his sister slipped and fell into the pond and drowned while trying to retrieve his pants.
This prompted Nureen Ain and his younger brother Mahathir to try and rescue her but they also drowned.
Mohamad Aiman said he did not expect to see his siblings and friend drowned as he was frozen with shock.
He and the others then ran to the houses of residents nearby in the area to get help.
The father of Nureen Ain Juwita, security guard Mohd Sharif Awang Ngah, 50, said he did not expect his only daughter to go to the area to play.
“Before the incident, Nureen Ain had gone to her grandfather’s house in Taman PSJ about 5km from our house in Kampung Sungai Karang.”
Mohd Sharif said he found out about the tragedy at 6.30pm.
A witness staying in Taman Sungai Karang Jaya, Zam Abdul Rahman, 37, was among the earliest to reach the scene of the incident after being informed by one of the children involved.
“When I reached the place, the bodies of the siblings had been pulled out by village residents.
“I tried to revive the two victims but failed. I went back home to fetch my safety vest when I found out Nureen Ain was still in the pond, to try to pull her body out,” he said.
He said the pond was quite deep and he almost drowned.
The body of Nureen Ain was found at the bottom of the pond after Zam felt her head with his foot. – Bernama
