KUALA NERUS: Five bodies, including three still wrapped in shrouds, had to be reburied today after being swept away by waves at the Kampung Pengkalan Maras Cemetery.
Kampung Pengkalan Maras Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) chairman Mohd Isshamudin Ismail said the cemetery, located near the coast, had long been threatened by erosion, particularly during the monsoon season.
However, the high tide phenomenon and strong waves last night caused five graves to be washed away.
“The incident was noticed by villagers who visited the site around 9 am today. In addition to the bodies, there were pieces of shroud, bones, headstones and tomb covers in the sea.
“Fortunately, villagers managed to recover the bodies, tomb covers, and some shroud fragments. The rest may have been carried out to sea,” he said during a visit to the cemetery.
Mohd Isshamudin added that the affected families had been contacted and had come to handle matters, including the reburial of the bodies at the Gong Walit Cemetery in Mengabang Telipot today.
He said that around 200 graves at the cemetery needed to be relocated due to worsening erosion each year.
“Authorities have built a wall to prevent the waves from reaching the cemetery, but the wall is about five years old. In the past two or three days, the waves were so strong that the wall couldn’t withstand them.
“Most of the graves here are over 70 years old. However, during the rainy season, villagers still bury their dead here because the new burial site is flooded,” he added.
