KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — A volunteer firefighter is feared to have drowned after falling into a lake along Jalan Lahat Mines in Bandar Baru Lahat Mines near Lahat in Ipoh yesterday.

The victim is a member of the Menglembu Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Perak Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad said authorities were alerted to the incident at 7.27pm, according to a report published in Kosmo! Online today.

He said the victim and his team were conducting boat training and testing activities at the lake.

“The training began at 4pm and involved 16 volunteer firefighters — seven from the Menglembu unit, seven from Pekan Baru and two from Pasir Pinji — using three boats.

“At the start of the exercise, the victim was wearing a personal flotation device (PFD), but as the training was nearing completion at about 7.10pm, he boarded the boat again without wearing the PFD,” he said today.

He said the victim had boarded the boat with a driver before both were believed to have fallen into the lake when the driver made a U-turn in the middle of the lake.

“The boat driver was rescued by other volunteer firefighters, while the victim is believed to have sunk into the lake.

“The location where the victim is believed to have fallen was estimated to be about 150 metres from the shore,” he added.