JOHOR BAHRU: An eight-year-old boy was found drowned after falling into a large drain in Bandar Baru Uda, Tampoi, yesterday.
Larkin Fire and Rescue station operations commander, Senior Fire Officer I Nordatul Badrol Abd Rahman, said the body of the victim was located by firefighters at 5.10 pm, along the banks of Sungai Danga, 3.7 kilometres from where he had fallen.
“The search and rescue (SAR) team conducted a search using a boat along the Sungai Danga, supported by a Fire Rescue Tender and two utility vehicles, with a total of 12 personnel, along with eight members from the Water Rescue Team (PPDA),“ he said in a statement this evening.
He added that the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) were also involved, each deploying seven personnel to assist in the operation.
Earlier, Johor Bahru Utara district police chief ACP Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh reportedly said the incident occurred while the victim was playing near the drain with two other boys, aged seven and eight.
It is believed that the victim accidentally slipped and was swiftly carried away by the strong current towards a larger drain near a shopping mall.
