KUALA TERENGGANU: The search for Abdul Bari Asyraf Mohd, who was feared to have drowned in Sungai Terengganu, ended this morning when his body was found floating near the river’s estuary, about 2.5km from where he was last seen.
Rescuers from the Fire and Rescue Department, with the help of villagers, found the body at 7.24am.
Upon positive identification by family members, the remains were sent to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital here.
Abdul Bari Asyraf, 31, drowned while attempting to save a family of five who were trapped in a Mitsubishi Storm which had accidentally gone into reverse and plunged into Sungai Terengganu at Pulau Warisan, on Friday evening.
“(Following the positive identification) the body was released to police at 7.50am for further action,” said State Fire and Rescue Department director Azlimin Mat Noor.
It is learnt that the remains will be laid to rest at the Merbau Patah mosque here, after the Zohor prayer.
Abdul Bari Asyraf was fishing with friends at Pulau Warisan when the accident occurred at 9.30pm. He and several other men dove into the river to help rescue the family trapped in the sinking pickup truck.
But Abdul Bari Asyraf is believed to have suffered cramps while retrieving one of the victims, and disappeared shortly after.
He failed to resurface and a search and rescue operation was launched by the Fire and Rescue Department, Marine Police, the Civil Defence Force and members of the public.