A 12-year-old boy died after he was believed to have drowned while attempting to rescue his younger brother who slipped into a canal at Kampung Permatang Tepung yesterday evening.
The incident occurred at about 6.30pm when Muhammad Alif Fahmi Abdullah tried to save his nine-year-old brother, Muhammad Rayan Firrdaus, but was swept away by strong currents.
Their father, Abd Rahim Saidin, 40, said Alif, the eldest of his children and fondly known as “Abang”, had gone to the area with around 10 village friends to catch fighting fish following several days of heavy rain that caused water levels to rise.
“They often went there to catch fish and nothing bad had ever happened before,” he said when met today.
Abd Rahim recalled that Alif had eaten unusually well the night before the incident, enjoying several servings of rice with sambal telur.
“He normally doesn’t eat much. I never imagined it would be a sign before he left us. I accept this as a test from Allah, but the loss is very heavy,” he said.
The grieving father also expressed regret over a recent moment involving his son’s new school shoes.
“He wanted to wear his new black shoes for his school graduation ceremony, but I told him to wait until next year. I never thought he wouldn’t get the chance,” he said.
The canal is located about 100 metres from their home. Abd Rahim rushed to the scene after being alerted by neighbours, while villagers immediately began searching for the boy.
Alif’s body was found at about 7.15pm.
A friend who witnessed the incident, Amirul Hakimi Mahyuddin, 12, said Rayan slipped and fell into the canal while they were catching fish.
“I managed to grab Rayan’s hand. Alif quickly went in to help, but the current was too strong and swept him away,” he said.
Amirul added that the group had caught about 30 fighting fish before the tragedy and said he would no longer pursue the hobby after the traumatic experience.
