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Father says missing 3-year-old daughter familiar with raft house's surroundings [NSTTV]

KUANTAN: Muhammad Sukri Ali said his three-year-old daughter was familiar with the surroundings of the family's floating raft house, given she grew up there.

Siti Nur Athhiyya Soffea or Tia as she was more fondly known as, has been missing since 11pm last night when Muhammad Sukri's family was hosting their Aidilfitri open house at the floating raft house.

Muhammad Sukri was met when Fire and Rescue Department divers were scouring Sungai Bukit Rangin, near here, today, to locate Tia, who is his only child.

The 50-year-old, who owns two floating raft houses along the river, said his daughter was well-versed with the surroundings of their wooden premises and was aware of the dangers posed by the murky water.

"The raft house is surrounded by wood fencing and there is only one main entrance to the raft house. Last night, there were many people inside and outside the premises including along the wooden bridge.....the entire area was brightly-lit.

"We have been living along the river bank here for quite some time before I built the raft house in 2020. Tia is no stranger to the raft house, located about 15m from the river bank....if she had slipped and fallen into the river, I believe that our guests might have noticed," he told reporters when met along the riverbank where he watched rescue personnel attempting to locate his daughter.

He said last night, his daughter was with her four-year-old cousin inside one of the rooms in his raft house while the Aidilfitri open house was taking place at the raft house next to it, both connected by a wooden bridge.

"Tia is very close with her cousin and my wife saw the both of them inside the room with another female relative. Suddenly, when we realised the female relative and Tia's cousin were outside the room, we asked about Tia and realised she was no longer in the room.

"There were about 35 guests at the raft house during the incident and everyone searched every corner of the premises. We even searched the nearby river bank and forest areas," he said, adding it was unlikely Tia was abducted.

Muhammad Sukri said he owned two raft houses along the river where he occupied one and rented the other unit for anglers and visitors during the weekends.

The father-of-one said he hoped that the search and rescue personnel would be able to safely track down his daughter within the next few hours.

"Tia was excited about the Aidilfitri open house yesterday and did not sleep in the afternoon. All our relatives and friends were present, but sadly she is now missing.

"Not knowing what has happened to my daughter is making me anxious. I am praying hard that my wife and I will be reunited with our daughter soon," he said while his teary-eyed wife Ita Daud, 46, watched.

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