Grandfather's First Trip With Grandsons Ends In Tragedy

KUALA KRAI, May 4 (Bernama) -- A grandfather did not expect the first trip with his two grandsons would end in tragedy after they are feared to have drowned in Sungai Kampung Kilat here yesterday.

The victims, Irruwan Rantau, 17, and Rahidi Rantau, 16, with their grandfather Hamzah Yahya, 62, and 30 other workers arrived last week to work on a watermelon farm here.

It was the first time the brothers from the Jakun tribe had followed their grandfather out of Rompin, Pahang. 

"My two grandsons were eager to help me plant watermelon seeds. But I never imagined it would end like this," he told reporters at the scene today.

Hamzah said that before the incident, both grandsons told him they were going fishing by the riverbank.

Shortly after, their cousin rushed home in a panic, saying that Rahidi and Irruwan had drowned while swimming.

"I rushed to the river with two of my sons. We searched and called out (their names) but saw nothing. In the end, I lodged a police report," he said.

He said the parents of the victims from Rompin arrived at the scene at 11 am today after being informed about the tragedy.

Since morning, Hamzah has been waiting at the riverbank, hoping that each sound of the current and every ripple on the water could signal the return of his grandchildren.

But as time passes, all that remains is a prayer growing fainter with each moment.

"They came to help me earn a living, but in the end, I lost two grandchildren at once," lamented Hamzah, still struggling to come to terms with his loss.

Meanwhile, Rosyam Nor, 14, the cousin of the victims, who witnessed the heartbreaking incident, said the three of them had gone to the river to search for worms to use as fishing bait.

"Irruwan invited us to go swimming, but I warned him against it because the current was strong, but he insisted on going," he said.

Rosyam added that Irruwan started to struggle in the water not even five minutes later, and Rahidi jumped in to save his brother, but the strong current swept them away.

"I ran back home. It took me a while to tell my grandmother because I was too shocked. But I had to eventually, as I was afraid they might be swept further away," he said.

Meanwhile, Sungai Durian Fire and Rescue Station chief Zulhilmi Baharudin said that the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the two victims has not yielded any leads.

He said the team was focusing on the area where the victims were last seen, but strong currents have made the search challenging.

He added that the search will resume tomorrow morning due to the river’s strong current, unpredictable weather, and safety concerns for the rescue team.

"The search radius for both victims today extended between five to ten kilometres from the incident site, but no leads were found.

“Today’s operation involved conducting surface searches, underwater diving, and patrols using boats organised into several designated search zones,” he said.

He explained that today's SAR operation involved 48 personnel and included members from the Water Rescue Team (PPDA) from the Pengkalan Chepa and Machang Fire and Rescue Stations, as well as the Royal Malaysia Police and Civil Defence Force with local villagers and orchard owners also provided assistance.

-- BERNAMA