An eight-year-old boy suffered injuries to his head and neck after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs while playing in the sand at Pantai Kuala Kemasin on Thursday.
The boy, Azuar Firdaus Zuraiman, sustained several bite wounds, including puncture marks from the dogs’ teeth on his head and neck, in the incident at about 9.30am.
His father, Zuraiman Mahmod, 47, said he was working at the family’s food stall near the beach when he heard a commotion and people calling for him in panic.
He said he then saw a foreign worker from a nearby resort carrying his blood-covered son to safety.
“Earlier, my son had gone to play near the beach with five cousins of the same age at about 9am.
“While they were playing in the sand, around five dogs suddenly ran towards them. They became frightened and ran away,” he told Sinar Harian on Saturday.
Zuraiman said Azuar fell while trying to escape before several dogs attacked and bit him, while his cousins managed to get away.
He said the boy managed to get back up and kick the dogs before running towards the beach in an attempt to escape.
“However, the dogs continued chasing him into the water. They only stopped attacking when the water reached my son’s neck,” he said.
A foreign worker who witnessed the incident then rushed over, helped drive the dogs away and brought Azuar out of the water before taking him to his father’s food stall.
Zuraiman subsequently rushed his son to Balai Health Clinic before he was referred to Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZ II) in Kota Bharu for further treatment.
“My son has just undergone surgery to clean the wounds and stitch the punctures caused by the dog bites.
“There are two puncture wounds on his neck and another two on his head. He is still receiving treatment in the ward and requires monitoring by doctors,” he said.
Zuraiman, who has nine children, said Azuar was his eighth child and expressed concern that stray dogs had been roaming the beach area for a long time.
He said the dogs were frequently seen around rubbish bins and that complaints had previously been made about the issue.
“I have complained before and there were even attempts to set traps, but the problem was only resolved temporarily,” he said.
Zuraiman urged the authorities to take appropriate action to address the problem before another, more serious incident occurs.
“I do not want this to happen to other children, with someone having to lose their life before action is taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bachok district police chief Superintendent Mohamad Ismail Jamaluddin confirmed that a report had been lodged over the incident.
“We received a report from a resort worker nearby regarding the incident, and police are continuing their investigation,” he said.
