JEMPOL: Four-year-old Umar Din Aydeb Aminuddin had often expressed excitement about his family's new house to his granduncle for the past two weeks before the boy was killed when a tree fell on him on Tuesday (Feb 20).
Amir Zulhairi Mohd Yusof, 48, described his grandnephew as a cheerful boy who frequently talked about his mother's newly purchased house during their meetings, as their homes were close by.
"I remember him telling me about the new house his mother bought, and that's what he often talked about for the past two weeks.
"Umar was a lively person and my children are about the same age as him so they were close," he told reporters when met by reporters in Kampung Serting Tengah here today.
Officers from the Jempol Police Headquarters' Crime Prevention and Community Safety Division, along with those from the Batu Kikir police station, visited the victim's family to offer support.
Amir Zulhairi said his brother-in-law, who is also Umar's grandfather, Abd Rahman Samad, 61, was deeply affected by the incident.
"My brother-in-law retired early as a school principal to take care of his two grandchildren with his wife, who is my sister, Fatimah.
"He loves his grandchildren so much and plans to build a swimming pool at his house for them to enjoy," he said.
Umar succumbed to head and body injuries when the tree fell, while his nine-year-old sister, Nor Adora Ayden, also sustained injuries and is being treated at the Tuanku Ampuan Najihah Hospital (HTAN) in Kuala Pilah.
Amir Zulhairi, who is an Air Traffic Control officer at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said he was unclear about the incident's details since he was at work that day
A notice at the scene from the Negri Sembilan Forestry Department announced that Taman Eko Rimba would be temporarily closed until further notice.
Police investigations revealed that the children's father had taken them to the park to swim in a pool at 1pm.
After playing in the pool, they were running towards their father to join him at the rapid site when the tree fell on them.