The bodies of two victims who died in the Sungai Sedim water surge were laid to rest in a single grave at the Kampung Palas Muslim Cemetery in Jitra.
JITRA: The bodies of two of the three victims who perished in the sudden water surge phenomenon at Sungai Sedim, Kulim yesterday, were laid to rest in a single grave at the Kampung Palas Muslim Cemetery here this afternoon.
The burial of Nur Atikah Abdullah, 28, and her cousin, Muhammad Aariz Daniel Md Radzi, 3, was completed at around 5:30 pm.
Earlier, both bodies were brought to the Kampung Palas Surau from the Forensic Department of Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar, following the completion of the post-mortem.
The funeral prayer was then performed at the surau, attended by about 200 congregants comprising of local residents and the victims’ family members.
Meanwhile, Nur Atikah’s younger brother, Nur Afizul, 21, said that prior to the incident, his sister along with 15 other family members were happily swimming and picnicking at the recreation area.
He said he had earlier ridden his motorcycle upstream to look for a deeper spot to swim.
“While on the way, I saw the water surge coming and immediately turned back because I had a bad feeling. However, by the time I arrived at the location, everything was already in chaos.
“I saw my sister struggling in the strong current while holding our three-year-old cousin. I immediately jumped into the river and grabbed my sister, but the current was too swift, causing my grip to slip,” he said.
Nur Afizul added that the incident happened too quickly before his sister disappeared from his sight.
Yesterday, the media reported that three individuals, comprising a woman and two children, died after being swept away by swift currents due to the sudden water surge phenomenon at Sungai Sedim.
