MACHANG: A 17-year-old youth drowned while swimming in a sand mine near Kampung Bagan here yesterday.
District police chief, Superintendent Ahmad Shafik Hussin said the victim was identified as Mohamad Fahmi Adlan Mohd Faizul Azli.
He said the Form Five student of SMK Abdul Samad was swimming with five other friends when the incident happened about noon.
"A police party was sent to the scene after receiving an emergency call at 1.30pm.
"Police were informed that the victim's body was discovered by several villagers about 10 minutes after he went missing.
"According to his friends, the victim tried to grab his t-shirt that fell into the water when he was swept away by the strong current.
"The friends tried to rescue him but failed. He then disappeared.
"They later rushed for help and with the help of a few villagers, they found the body near the place where he went missing," he said.
Shafik said the body was later sent to Machang hospital for post-mortem.
