DUNGUN, Dec 13 — The excitement of 13 friends on an outing at Teluk Bidara beach here today ended in tragedy after one of them drowned while another is still missing.

In the 9am incident, the group of year two automotive engineering diploma students of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Polytechnic (PSMZA) had gone to the beach for the weekend. 

The body of the drowning victim, Ahmad Syukri Ieman Ramaino, 18, of Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur was found at 9.40am about 30 metres from where he was swept away.   

The other victim, Mohd Hanif Jainuri, 18, of Kampung Sri Dalam Senggarang, Johor, is still missing and a search and rescue operation mounted by Dungun fire and rescue department, Civil Defence Department and police is still being carried out.

According the victims’ friend, Mohd Hafizi Abd Manaf, 18, they went to the location but only 11 of them swam and three of them got into difficulties. 

He said only one of them, Mohd Farhan Beig Shamsuri, who almost drowned, was rescued while the other two disappeared from their view.

Meanwhile, Dungun police chief Ahmad Zailani Yaacub said diving rescue efforts were hampered by strong waves but they were searching on the water surface.

The body of the dead victim was been sent to Dungun Hospital for a post-mortem. — Bernama