RAUB: A student of SMK Sega here is feared to have drowned while swimming in Sungai Jeram Besu, near Kampung Dong, yesterday evening.
Muhammad Muzzafar Shah Mohamad Rozi, 13, had gone to the river with two friends at about 4.45pm. They had initially planned to take pictures by the riverbank, but Muzzafar decided to jump into the water on a whim.
But the boy began to face difficulties, and despite his friends’ attempts to help him, he disappeared beneath the water.
It is learnt that a resident of nearby Kampung Jeram Besu was informed of Muzzafar’s disappearance by his friends. The villager proceeded to alert the Dong police station at about 6.20pm.
According to Raub district police chief Superintendent Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu, a search and rescue (SAR) operation, which was immediately launched, had to be called off after dusk yesterday, with the operation resuming this morning.
"The section of the river where the victim went missing is about five feet deep.
“Besides policemen and firemen, some 40 villagers are assisting in the SAR," Wan Mohd said in a statement today.