KUALA TERENGGANU: The mother of seven who died in the Jeram Air Putih water surge tragedy on Saturday promised her mother that she would return to her the following day.
"Wait till I come back tomorrow mother" was the final message by the deceased Azizah Eiyi, 40, to her mother Halimah Kasim, 63, before they went to the picnic spot.
Halimah said that the family came to her house at Felda Lepar Hilir 3, Gambang, Pahang and even invited her to join them for a short getaway.
However, she refused to go as they were planning to spend the night there, and that her husband Eiyi Johari, 60, was also working on that day.
"I was expecting her to come back from the picnic, but little did I know that I was waiting for her at the mortuary.
"A week before the incident, her family did not come to visit me as often as before where every morning and evening her children would spend time at my house," she said when met at Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah (HSNZ) today.
She said that she was initially approached by officers from Gambang Police Station asking for details of her child, son-in-law and the grandchildren without initially revealing the truth.
Around 2pm on Sunday, the officers from Air Putih then called to inform Halimah that Azizah and her 11-year-old son were found dead during the tragedy.
"Only Allah knows how I felt when I received the devastating news. Together with my husband and other family members, we went to Kemaman Hospital at 5pm to identify the victims.
"I pray that all my grandchildren are found," she said, adding that she accepted fate as a test from Allah.
The water surge tragedy has claimed the life of eight so far with two more victims still missing.
