Kulim Drowning Tragedy: The Football Boots A Father Never Got To Buy

ALOR SETAR, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- The regret of never getting the chance to buy the football boots his son had recently asked for still weighs heavily on Mohd Ashrofudin Ramdzon, the father of two boys who drowned at Taman Desa Kayangan, Sungai Karangan in Kulim last night.

Mohd Ashrofudin, 41, never imagined that he would be unable to fulfil the final request of his eight-year-old son, Muhammad Arif Naufan, who drowned alongside his 12-year-old stepson, Muhamad Aeril Aziz Muhamad Zafis, and two other boys.

“A few days ago, he asked me to buy him football boots for training and a competition in October. I was planning to buy them for him this week, but I never got the chance.

“He loved football and would often go out to play with his brother and other friends,” he said when met at the Forensic Department of Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) here today.

Earlier, Kulim district police chief Supt Syamsul Sinring said the four children, aged between eight and 12, were believed to have tried to retrieve a ball that had fallen into a drain before they drowned in the 7.30 pm incident.

The victims were identified as Muhamad Aeril Aziz, 12; his stepbrother Muhammad Arif Naufan, eight; and their friends Muhammad Zafril Arsyad Muhamad Azrin, 12, and Muhammad Iman Nuruddin Khairol Anuar, 10.

Mohd Ashrofudin, who works as a security assistant, was at work when his wife called to tell him what had happened, prompting him to rush to Kulim Hospital.

Looking back at the days before the tragedy, he recalled that Muhammad Arif Naufan had seemed more affectionate than usual.

“Two or three days ago, I noticed Muhammad Arif Naufan was more affectionate. He asked me to feed him, something he had never done before. Muhamad Aeril Aziz, meanwhile, was more reserved.

“My sons and their two friends were very close and always played together. They often came to our house. Now they are all gone,” he said.

The four boys are expected to be buried together in a single grave at the Sungai Karangan Mosque Muslim Cemetery in Kulim once funeral arrangements are completed.

For Muhammad Iman Nuruddin’s family, the tragedy unfolded as they began wondering why the 10-year-old had not returned home.

His brother, Muhammad Irfan Hafizuddin Khairol Anuar, 20, said their mother asked him to look for his younger brother as Maghrib approached.

“When I reached the scene, there was already a crowd, and I saw people pulling my brother out of the drain and performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on him. I helped too, but there was no response.

“He was then taken to hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead,” he said.

Muhammad Irfan confirmed that his brother would be buried alongside the other three boys in a single grave, a final resting place shared by four friends who had spent much of their time together.

-- BERNAMA