KUALA KRAI: Nurul Fairiefsa Zaidi's last words were screams for help before she drowned in Kelubi River in Kampung Kelubi yesterday evening.
"Help, I'm seriously drowning!" Nurul Fairiefsa was heard screaming, said her relative, Rosmaira Maisara Mohd Azan, 13.
She said Nurul Fairiefsa, 19, had invited her to go prawn fishing at the river where they were accompanied by two other relatives and a friend around 1pm.
Rosmaira said after fishing, Nurul Fairiefsa asked her to swim in the river together.
"Suddenly she was swept away by the current and in the chaos, she grabbed my hand, pulled my hair and then disappeared from sight.
"I managed to cling to a tree branch. The two relatives who were with us ran for help," she said at her residence in Kampung Kelubi here today.
She said Nurul Fairiefsa, who worked at a restaurant in Penang, had returned to the village on Feb 8 for a holiday and to attend a relative's wedding.
"Since returning to the village, she had invited me several times to go prawn fishing and swimming but I declined.
"However, yesterday evening, I felt compelled to accompany her, and I didn't expect it to be the last time we were together.
"We were very close since childhood, and a few days before the incident, I saw Nurul Fairiefsa becoming quiet, but I didn't suspect anything," said the traumatised Rosmaira.
Yesterday, it was reported that a woman was found drowned at 7pm.
Operations commander Noorzaidi Mohamed said the body of the victim was found by her brother.
Nurul Fairiefsa was laid to rest at the Kampung Hau Islamic cemetery at 11.30 this morning.