BENTONG: A 22-year-old Malaysian student is feared to have drowned at Lata Hammer Waterfall along Jalan Lama Gombak-Bentong.
Bentong district police chief Superintendent Zaiham Kahar said Muhamad Hafiz Khairul Azmi, a student from Janda Baik, was part of a group of seven friends who visited the location for recreational purposes.
He said during interviews with the victim's friends, it was shared that, prior to the incident, two unidentified women had faced a near-drowning situation but were successfully rescued by fellow visitors on-site.
"The victim's friend said in the somewhat chaotic situation at the scene, they realised that one of their friends, Hafiz, was missing," he said in a statement, last night.
Zaiham said Hafiz, believed to have drowned, was identified as a student at a public university in Selangor. He was with his friends aged between 21 and 23 at the time of the incident.
"Bentong police have initiated a search and rescue (SAR) operation along with the fire and rescue department and the Civil Defence Force.
"The SAR mission entered its second day on Monday and will resume on Tuesday (today)," he said.
He added that the rescue team has employed the services of experienced divers from the Temerloh fire department.
This tragic incident follows another recent drowning at Sungai Tembeling, Kampung Kuala Sat, where a 12-year-old schoolboy was found dead yesterday.
In a separate incident, a 57-year-old man is suspected to have fallen into Sungai Semantan in Kuala Kaung, Lanchang, yesterday.
