KUALA NERUS: The victim who drowned in Sungai Terengganu yesterday was supposed to be engaged this weekend.
Ahmad Yusuf Din, 24, who was found drowned in the river near Kampung Bukit Tumbuh, early today, had an engagement ceremomy planned for Saturday.
The deceased's father Din Ismail, 68, said they had to call off the preparations from the bride's side in Kampung Paloh, Kuala Terengganu.
"The (engagement) ceremony has to be cancelled and will be replaced with a funeral ceremony instead," he said when met at his home today.
A funeral prayer for the tenth child out of 12 siblings was held at the village mosque.
The deceased was laid to rest at the Tanah Perkuburan Islam (TPI) Kampung Bukit Tumbuh after the Zuhur prayer around 2pm.
Din, who operates a batik factory, said his late son often played remote control boats in the river every night with a friend who lived nearby.
"It (his death) was fated last night because, on previous nights, he was with his close friend in the same river.
"However, his boat experienced a malfunction and drifted far from the jetty, causing him (the deceased) to swim to retrieve it.
"The deceased was said to have successfully reached his boat, but at the same time, he experienced muscle cramps."
Although I am saddened by his sudden departure, everything that happens is God's will.
"He rarely went to the river area, but because of his new hobby (playing remote control boat), for the past three months, he frequently visited the river area with his friend," he said.
Din said during the incident he was at the Masjid Kampung Tok Ku in Chabang Tiga, Kuala Terengganu for a tabligh event.
"I was informed about the incident by my son's friend who came to the mosque at 11pm after failing to reach me by phone.
"I went home after being told of the incident.
"Alhamdulillah, my child's body was found quickly. We are grateful to the Fire and Rescue Department team and other rescue agencies as well as the residents for tirelessly searching for his body," he said.
New Straits Times reported that the joy of two friends playing remote control boats in Sungai Terengganu near Kampung Bukit Tumbuh, here, ended in tragedy when one of them was found drowned at 12.56am today.
The victim is believed to have drowned after experiencing muscle cramps while swimming to retrieve his malfunctioning remote control boat.
A friend of the deceased, Muhammad Danial Hafriz Abdul Halim, 26, who witnessed the incident, tried to swim to save the deceased but failed and almost drowned before being rescued by bystanders.