KULIM: A 16-year-old boy drowned after attempting to rescue a friend in distress while swimming at Sungai Sedim here today.
The victim, identified as Muhammad Haziq Danish Mohd Hafizul Khairi from Kuala Ketil, was found lodged against a tree stump about 50m from where he had been bathing.
Kulim police chief, Superintendent Zulkifli Azizan, said police received an emergency call at about 4.48pm reporting the incident.
He said the victim had gone to the river with five friends for a swim when one of them was almost swept away by the strong current.
“The victim attempted to rescue his friend, who managed to grab onto a nearby tree branch, but the victim himself was carried away by the current,” he said in a statement today.
Zulkifli added that the victim’s friends sought help from nearby villagers, who later found him stuck against a tree stump downstream.
“Villagers brought the victim to the riverbank and contacted the authorities. Fire and rescue personnel, along with police, arrived at the scene at about 5pm and attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but there was no response,” he said.
Medical personnel arrived shortly after and confirmed the victim’s death at about 5.20pm.
The body was sent to Kulim Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
