CHUKAI: The search operation for an 11-year-old boy feared drowned in Sungai Kuala Kemaman near here last Friday, is set to continue with the help of oceanographers from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).
Terengganu Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Md Hilman Abd Rashid said discussions had been held with UMT to obtain the expertise due to the constant change in water movement at the mouth of the river.
“It’s because we do not know the pattern of water movement in this area and they (oceanographers) have the expertise.
“There may be studies that can help us determine the victim’s position because the situation (at the river mouth) is different from the river where we know the movement of water,” he told reporters after surveying the scene of the incident near here, today.
Md Hilman said teams had also been divided by sectors to conduct the search, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) was focusing on the sea and coastal areas up to Cherating, Pahang.
“As of today, we still haven’t found the victim. What we fear is if the victim is at the bottom of the river mouth, because we believe this area has quicksands... and this is what makes our search operation difficult,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Md Hilman advised people not to conduct leisure activities near bodies of water as the country was currently facing the North East Monsoon season.
“The flood season is not the time for us to go for swims, have picnics and play in the water. This is not the right time, I also advise the villagers to move immediately if there is an increase in water level or continuous heavy rain in residential areas,“ he said.
Mohamad Aiman Asyraf Shahrulzaman, 11, was believed drowned on Friday after being swept away by a strong current while swimming in Sungai Kuala Kemaman with two friends near Pantai Telaga Simpul.
The four-day search operation has also involved personnel from the Kemaman and Chuka fire and rescue stations, police, and Malaysian Civil Defence Force, besides being assisted by several fishermen. - Bernama
