KULIM, Jan 13 — A boy, 16, drowned in an attempt to save his friend in Sungai Sedim in Kampung Baru Jemerli near here yesterday afternoon.
Kulim district police chief Supt Zulkifli Azizan said the victim, Muhammad Haziq Danish Mohd Hafizul Khairi was at the river with five of his friends when one of them started to drown.
“Police received a distress call about the incident in Sungai Sedim at 4.40 pm. The victim tried to save his friend who was drowning. His friend managed to hold on to a branch of a nearby tree, but the victim was swept away by currents,” he said in a statement last night, adding that the victim’s friends sought help from villagers near the location of the incident.
“The victim was found wedged in a tree stump about 50 metres from where they were bathing. The villagers brought out the body to the bank and contacted 999,” he said.
Firefighters and police arrived at 5pm and tried to help the victim but he was pronounced dead at 5.20pm by medical officers.
Further investigations did not find any suspicious elements linked to the incident and the body was taken to Kulim Hospital for post mortem, he added. — Bernama
